Photos App in 8.1 loses most of its best features e.g. Facebook/Flickr support...

Barb Bowman 80,805 Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
2013-06-26T19:27:25+00:00

EDIT: October 18 – This has been edited to reflect the Windows 8.1 and Windows RT 8.1 official RTM/GA release.

I've just installed the 8.1 Preview on a desktop. EDIT: 10/17/2013-this is also true for RTM. The Photos App has changed:

  1. No longer includes the ability to show images from Facebook, Flickr, SkyDrive

 <10/18/2013deleted missing networked computers issue - for information on how to include content from supported Windows computers on a home network, see http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wiki/windows8_1-pictures/add-network-folders-and-display-pictures-in-the/bf3252f8-9162-4129-8387-5367e24b5609 - note that many older versions of Windows are not supported and that there is no support for Linux based NAS devices>

  1. Does have some new editing features

 3. Live Tile functionality has disappeared.

Edit:6/30

http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows8_1_pr-pictures/possible-fix-for-photos-app-live-time-not-showing/e0eb3bb4-3e9c-4016-aa27-4a011ccc94a3 is what a possible solution is to missing Live Tile issues.

Edit: 7/04

Tiles are working, but images change only 1x per day. This needs to be a shorter period.

--

Barb

Windows Entertainment and Connected Home MVP

My Blog - http://digitalmediaphile.com/

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Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Music, photos, and video

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  1. Anonymous
    2013-07-02T19:17:20+00:00

    Photos App in windows 8 was better in looks and Experience than in 8.1.

    App  also missing "Set as App background option " as well along with Live Tiles ,Facebook /Flickr integration which i feel is needed.... Missing here .

    Hope they fix this in final release

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  2. Anonymous
    2013-07-02T15:54:04+00:00

    Totally agree with the feedback from others here.  Love the new edit capabilities in the photo app, but missing the network and Flickr/Facebook integration.  This omission feels like a massive step back.  Hope we can get confirmation that this will come back in the final version.

    Otherwise loving 8.1!

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  3. Anonymous
    2013-07-02T14:50:18+00:00

    Right I see, it's because the Photos app is creating the folder to wherever the default save location has been set in the Pictures library. But it will only display the folders and files if the default save location is C:\Users\myusername\Pictures

    And you can't change the location of C:\Users\myusername\Pictures

    How can a new beta version of an app be so backwards compared to it's initial version?

    I hope Microsoft is seeing this is an obvious "No-Go" for final release of Windows 8.1 until this is all resolved.  It is beyond me how they can screw up a very good and "differentiating from the competition" thing.  I can only speculate there is some type of legal action occurring behind the scenes on this somehow, which is why this OS "upgrade" is free.

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  4. Anonymous
    2013-07-02T14:20:03+00:00

    Thanks for the feedback, everybody.  In Windows 8, we wanted to provide a way for folks to view their photos on other services knowing there would be few (if any) apps in the store at launch that would do so.  Now there are many apps in the store that offer ways to view photos on other services and soon there will even be a Facebook app from Facebook.  We’re confident Facebook will offer great ways to view and engage socially with photos on Facebook.  We welcome Flickr to do the same.  In addition, the People app still offers the ability to socially engage with your friends and even your own photos.

    OK, now I'm, really mad.  In case Microsoft did not know, lots of people are starting to use SSD's for their OS and applications and use a separate data drive for their data, which apparently is not compatible with the Photo App.  As a result, not only do I have ZERO pictures in my Photo App (because all my pictures are on my data drive, INSIDE a mirrored Skydrive folder - looks like I need to back away from that service too)... but this has impacted other favorite apps  of mine, like File Brick, where the Flickr sign in button no longer functions, so I cannot access my Flicker photos. 

    As for the ruined People app, only my oldest Timeline photo is accessible.  It identifies I have lots more photos out there but I cannot see them and there are no arrow buttons on my 1 and only visible Timeline picture to try to scroll through.  Once again, this flaw has carried through to my File Brick app, I can only see the 1 Timeline photo even though it identifies many more are out there.

    I'm a photographer, Windows 8 was great for photography.  Windows 8.1 has taken my candy away and now I am crying.  Time to look at what alternative operating systems can offer.

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  5. Anonymous
    2013-07-02T13:54:56+00:00

    Carmen- how on earth am I meant to import my photos too! According to you there are a load of apps to do just this. Must be me then who can't see apps.

    If I wanted a device that has an app for every service, I would have bought myself an iPad- not a Surface RT.

    By the way, you need to tell the Windows Phone team about this- maybe they need to get rid of Facebook integration in the Pictures hub as they have a Facebook app

    Oh, by the way, going away soon so I want to see photos on Flickr- good job Yahoo! recently updated the website- looks like I'll be stuck with that then!

    As always two steps forward, one step back.

    Not a happy customer!

    Ben

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