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
    2013-10-20T17:47:02+00:00

    I just learned this after I installed RT 8.1 on my Surface RT.  If I had known this in advance, I might well have stayed with RT as it was.  Connecting to Flickr was one of my favorite activities with the surface. 

    I looked at the Windows 8.1 publicity on the Microsoft site, and it states that you can show your Facebook and Flickr photos.  So either that is a difference between RT and 8.1, or the publicity is wrong, eh?

    This is very, very upsetting.

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  2. Anonymous
    2013-10-20T17:53:34+00:00

    I agree with your dissent. 

    Plus my big complaint is that if and when there is a Flickr app, I seriously doubt it will be integrated with the file system as the Photos app is, in such a way that recently viewed photos are cached for viewing when offline.  Without that feature, which the old Photos app does have, the app is pretty useless to me. 

    I cannot believe that M/S ignored all this negative feedback and stuck with their plan. 

    Well, yeah, I guess I can, as it is Microsoft we are talking about.  :-(

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  3. Anonymous
    2013-10-20T17:57:04+00:00

    I guess my hope is (confirmed nowhere) is that MS built in hooks so that at least other companies can integrate into the Photos App with plugins... i.e. download the Flickr app and you can see Flickr photos in the photos app hub.  Ditto Facebook, Picasa, Twitter, etc, etc.

    Isn't this the original vision of Windows Phone and Windows 8?  Bringing things together, like in the people app where ALL contact information is aggregated?  Why can't all photos, all videos, etc., all be accessible from one "hub"?

    Please Microsoft, if you're toing to take away everything you took away in the Windows 8 Photos app, at least start putting it back in via plug-ins.

    And come on, Microsoft... let me see photos an ALL my connected PCs (via my Microsoft Account).  I have photos on my desktop, laptop, and tablet... let me see them all!

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  4. Anonymous
    2013-10-20T18:23:10+00:00

    This is the best video Carmen Zlateff ever made, this is what people want as a Photo apps !

    All the feature we want are in that video !

    http://youtu.be/R0qBZyjK2MU

    I can't understand why they change it into 8.1

    Man watching that is so sad, its amazing how badly they've ruined this once great app from what it was.

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  5. Anonymous
    2013-10-20T19:21:50+00:00

    I wonder when an official Flickr app will appear, but I am not waiting around any longer. I have unpinned the photos app from my start screen as it is completely useless to me now. Yes, it may have some photo editing functionality, but that is not what I want. I want a photo app that integrates with everything I use. The best one I have found so far is PhotoWeaver, found here:

    http://apps.microsoft.com/windows/en-us/app/photoweaver/ef27c980-ffdb-438a-b16e-e4699ca0044c

    It is a shame that Microsoft will not listen to their customers on this subject, especially with all the talk that they listen to feedback. I will not use the Photos app at all until they bring this integration back in.

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