Unofficial archive. This is a read-only, community-run archive of the Apple Support Community. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by Apple Inc.
Acheron2016
User level: Level 1 (35 points)

Image Playground crash on startup

After installing MacOS 27.0 I cannot open Image Playground.


I have never tried to use it before on MacOS so I can't say this is unique to 27.0. From the backtrace it reads to me like a problem accessing my photo library.


Perhaps interestingly when I go into Photos and click Edit with: Image Playground I get the exact same backtrace. So it does seem to be something to do with accessing my photos.


When I look under Privacy & Security image playground is not listed for Photo access (neither allow nor deny).


Anyway... backtrace:


Last Exception Backtrace:

0 CoreFoundation 0x18ae7e8b4 __exceptionPreprocess + 164

1 libobjc.A.dylib 0x18a8dc60c objc_exception_throw + 88

2 PhotoLibraryServicesCore 0x28dbd7cf4 -[PLPhotoLibraryPathManager forwardingTargetForSelector:] + 0

3 Photos 0x1bc83abd8 +[PHPhotoLibrary sharedPhotoLibrary] + 32

4 Photos 0x1bc6e4724 +[PHFetchOptions effectivePhotoLibraryForFetchOptions:object:] + 76

5 Photos 0x1bc6e895c __67+[PHAssetCollection fetchAssetCollectionsWithType:subtype:options:]_block_invoke + 68

6 Photos 0x1bc6e44b4 +[PHObject authorizationAwareFetchResultWithOptions:fetchBlock:] + 92

7 Photos 0x1bc6e88f8 +[PHAssetCollection fetchAssetCollectionsWithType:subtype:options:] + 116

8 ImagePlaygroundInternal 0x262d46410 0x262977000 + 3994640

9 ImagePlaygroundInternal 0x2629c9c75 0x262977000 + 339061

10 ImagePlaygroundInternal 0x2629c871d 0x262977000 + 333597

11 ImagePlaygroundInternal 0x2629cb859 0x262977000 + 346201

12 libswift_Concurrency.dylib 0x2b764ad41 completeTaskWithClosure(swift::AsyncContext*, swift::SwiftError*) + 1


Posted on Sep 16, 2026 6:23 AM

3 replies

Acheron2016 Author
User level: Level 1 (35 points)

Sep 16, 2026 10:55 AM in response to Acheron2016

It turned out the problem was the image playground sandbox was corrupted. With great trepidation I deleted it and Image Playground immediately started working. It has lost its metadata e.g. people etc. But it is slowly rebuilding that in the background.


So this seems to be the correct solution.


rm -rf ~/Library/Photos/Libraries/Application/com.apple.GenerativePlayground

neuroanatomist
User level: Level 9 (72,871 points)

Sep 16, 2026 6:52 AM in response to Acheron2016

The backtrace shows a crash occurring the exact moment ImagePlaygroundInternal attempts to call fetchAssetCollectionsWithType. This suggests Image Playground is trying to read your photo library (specifically looking for the "People" or "Shared" albums to offer suggestions), but it hits an unhandled exception because  System Photo Library connection hasn't been explicitly established or approved for the app.


Assign the System Photo Library

Image Playground cannot interact with a photo database unless it is explicitly marked as the primary library for the entire system.

  • Open the Photos app.
  • In the top menu bar, click Photos > Settings (or Preferences).
  • Select the General tab.
  • Look at the Use as System Photo Library button.



  • If it is clickable (greyed in), click it. If it is already greyed out, your library is properly designated—proceed to the next step


Repair the Photo Library

If Image Playground still crashes on fetchAssetCollections, there may be a minor corruption within the library database itself preventing the app's fetch request from completing.

  • Completely Quit the Photos app if it is open.
  • Hold down the Option and Command keys simultaneously, then click the Photos app icon to open it.
  • In the window that appears, click Repair to rebuild the library database.
  • More info: Repair your photo library on Mac – Apple Support
  • Once the repair completes, try opening Image Playground again.


More generally:

Have you rebooted your Mac? If that does not help, then see if the problem is present when you boot in safe mode. That process performs some system cleanup and clears caches, and also disables 3rd party extensions that may cause problems.

 

Start up your Mac in safe mode - Apple Support


If that does not correct the issue, test in a new user account. A newly-created user account will have all settings at default, and if the issue does not occur in that new account then it provides guidance on what may need to be changed to correct the issue.

 

Add a user or group on Mac - Apple Support

 

Once the testing is complete, the new account can easily be deleted.

 

Delete a user or group on Mac – Apple Support


Those steps will help to isolate the problem.


Personally, I did not use Image Playground on Tahoe (I turned off Apple Intelligence, which is no longer an option on Golden Gate). It launches and works fine for me on macOS 27.




danilocruz
User level: Level 1 (26 points)

Sep 16, 2026 4:34 PM in response to Acheron2016

Thanks! I had a similar crash report as you, and this solved my issue as well!

Originally posted at discussions.apple.com/thread/256358153