How to Use iPhone Slideshows

This article explains how to create and display iPhone slideshows. Instructions apply to the iOS 12 version of the Photos app.

How to Create an iPhone Slideshow

Photo slideshows used to involve carousels of slides and a projector. Not anymore—at least not if you have an iPhone or iPod touch. The Photos app built into iOS includes a feature that turns images from your photo library into a slideshow. You can even display your photos on an HDTV.

Follow these steps to create a slideshow on your iPhone:

1. Launch Photos, then choose an Album.

2. Tap Select in the upper-right corner.

3. Tap each photo you want to include in your slideshow. Use as many or as few as you like.

4. Tap the action button (the box with an arrow coming out of it at the bottom of the screen).

5. On the action screen, tap Slideshow.

6. Your slideshow begins playing. Click Done when you finish watching it.

Change iPhone Slideshow Settings

After your slideshow starts playing, you can control several of its settings.

1. Tap the screen to reveal additional buttons.

2. Tap Options to control:

   • Theme: The slideshow feature comes with built-in transition styles. Tap Theme to choose one. It's applied immediately and begins playing the slideshow using it.
   • Music: Choose music to accompany your images, either built into Photos or from your music library stored or your iPhone.
   • Repeat: This slider controls whether the images in your slideshow repeat or not. When you leave it off, the slideshow ends when all images have been shown. Move it to on/green and the slideshow continues by repeating images.
   • Speed: Represented by tortoise and hare icons, this slider controls how quickly the slideshow moves from one image to the next.

3. To pause the slideshow, tap the pause button (the two parallel lines) at the bottom center of the screen. Restart the slideshow by tapping it again.

Display Your Slideshow on an HDTV

Looking at photos on your phone is nice, but seeing them blown up to a couple of feet wide is better. If your phone is connected to a Wi-Fi network and there's an Apple TV on the same network, show your slideshow on the HDTV connected to the Apple TV.

1. Connect the iPhone to the same Wi-Fi network as the AirPlay device.

2. Create your slideshow and start it playing.

3. Tap the screen to reveal the icons.

4. Tap the AirPlay icon (a rectangle with a triangle pushing into the bottom of it).

5. When the AirPlay options display, tap Apple TV.

6. You may be prompted to enter an AirPlay passcode. If so, it displays on your TV. Enter the passcode on your iPhone.

7. The slideshow begins to play on the TV.