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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http://apps.microsoft.com/windows/en-us/app/barbs-connected-world-blog/02f35769-52bf-461c-b1d5-06e54a58d298

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

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  2. Anonymous
    2013-07-03T11:41:51+00:00

    Carman, I'm afraid you couldn't be more wrong.

    I like Windows 8 for the most part but I do not know what Microsoft is thinking at the moment.

    The Modern UI is nice but not that intuitive at times.

    You seem to be trying to force things on the public that the public do not want or like (referring to the recent XBOX One (joke) launch & Windows 8's unintuitive UI).

    BUT then you (Microsoft) seem to take away things the public do like.

    This is the case here... WE DO NOT WANT an app for facebook photos and a separate app for Flickr photos and another for SkyDrive.

    WE WANT a single photos app that can show all of our albums regardless of which service is hosting them.

    If I wanted to have a mess of apps for every single service I would go and buy and Apple product.

    If Microsoft don't soon stop this nonsense path they're on I will be boycotting any Windows 8 version and go back to Windows 7 until they get their act together.

    Something for you to think about... You (Microsoft) need to start paying attention to your customers or you are going to lose out big time.  Apple may not have the desktop computer marketshare but they are closing the gap, you (Microsoft) need to keep your customers on side and this is not the way to go about it.

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  3. Anonymous
    2013-07-03T11:49:25+00:00

    I think that those features will be back soon ! Wait for the final release ! I think so that they will be back ! THANKS !

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  4. Anonymous
    2013-07-03T11:55:05+00:00

    Agree,

    And SkyDrive is supposed to be MS's premiere product!

    What a bone headed decision.

    * Facebook will not write an app that integrates with SkyDrive AND Flickr

    * Flickr will not write an app that integrates with Skydrive AND Facebook

    * etc etc (i.e. - it is the responsibility of the OS produced to provide an INTEGRATED experience. Leaving it to individual apps just makes it a fragmented experience).

    MS, you already have the 8.0 photo app. Just restore it!

    The 8.1 photo app is useless and will make you go backwards as far as using Win8.1 as a sales tool (i.e. the Photo app as per 8.0 was a silver lining in the product).

    To think people actually 'white boarded' this in a meeting room one day as a good idea.  Wow.

    Silly silly silly . . . .

    p.s. had to restore back to Win 8.0 (my wife officially hates 8.1 - can't see her SkyDrive photos and Facebook photos in the simple manner she enjoyed).

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  5. Anonymous
    2013-07-03T12:20:11+00:00

    I've just found out that FB and SkyDrive integration from the Photos app in W8.1 has been removed!

    Seriously? I mean SERIOUSLY?

    This sort of integration, a place where you don't need to think of which App/service to go to, in order to find your photographs is/was so convenient and natural! I have hundreds of photos across FB and SkyDrive and my HD, now I have to figure out which app/service I posted a set of photos to before actually going to the app!

    It's much easier to go to one central photo app that aggregates everything in one place. It was extremely intuitive. The changes are a Backward Step. It was also a differentiating aspect of the Windows ecosystem over iOS or even Android.

    What next? Getting rid of the same integration in the Photos hub in Windows Phone? Dumping integration in the Peoples app/hub in Windows 8 and Phone???

    A Stupid and bad decision. One has to ask for what reason? Pressure from Facebook? Are they really that powerful? I note they are probably responsible for that awful FB app on Windows Phone.

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