5 Things You Didn't Realize Your iPhone Camera App Could Do

Much of the iPhone's default Camera app features are pretty easy to figure out — especially when you're not bothered by things like exposure, frame rates, and the like. However it does have more than a few secrets tucked away. Or sometimes they're hidden in plain sight.

Well, maybe these are not so much "secrets" as features Apple, and by extension the Camera app itself, doesn't make quite as obvious as swiping between camera modes or flipping between the rear and front-facing cameras. Regardless, if you've just been using your iPhone's camera to snap photos, you might not have realized some of these other options and features were there.

That being said, please be aware that not all of the features below are available on every model of iPhone or all versions of iOS. Requirements will be noted as they come up, but unless you're using an iPhone 15 with the latest version of iOS 17 installed, there's a chance you might not be able to access at least a couple of them. However, making sure iOS is up to date is still a good idea, regardless.

You also can quickly reach a number of small access and editing options that you might not realize are present within the Camera app itself.

1. In iOS 12 and later, you can quickly open the Camera app from the lock screen by swiping from left to right.
2. Multiple other camera options can be accessed by opening the app to the Photo option, then tapping on the up arrow (^) in the top-center of the screen.
3. Once tapped, these additional options will appear along the bottom of the camera display — above the Shutter button and below the magnification settings.
4. Tap the Flash button to set the camera flash to Auto, On, or Off.
5. On an iPhone 11 and newer, tap the Night Mode button and use the slider to set the shutter time to Off, Auto, or Max (one second).
6. Tap the Live button to set Live Photo (record what happens before and after the photo) to Auto, On, or Off.
7. Tap the Aspect Ratio button to choose between the default 4:3, Square (ideal for some social media), or wider 16:9 settings.
8. Tap the Exposure button (+ and -)and use the slider to increase (brighten) or decrease (darken) exposure.
9. Tap the Timer (clock) button to set the shutter timer to Off, three seconds, or 10-seconds.
10. Tap the Filter button (three circles) to choose from a variety of photo filters.

Be aware that any settings you change through this method will remain after you close the app.

Cinematic Mode requires an iPhone 13 or newer with iOS 15 or above installed, and the effect can be used to add a slight (or more intense) blurring effect to the background while keeping video subjects in focus.

1. Open the Camera app and select Cinematic Mode from the options above the Shutter button.
2. With Cinematic Mode on, tap the Depth-of-field button (it looks like a lowercase f) and use the slider to adjust the background focus effect.
3. Much like regular video recording, tap the Record button (the large circle) in the bottom-center of the screen to start recording. Tap it again to stop.
4. Subjects in the frame will be highlighted with a square box. A yellow box indicates the subject is currently in focus, while a gray box means the subject is being detected by the camera but is not in focus.
5. Tap a subject to focus on that subject, or tap anywhere on the screen to set the focus point to that spot.
6. You can also tap and hold the screen to set and lock the focus to a specific distance (i.e. the camera will not automatically adjust focus while recording).

You can turn the Cinematic Mode effect on or off in iOS 15 via the Photos app by selecting the video and tapping Edit, then tapping Cinematic in the top-center to toggle the effect off or back on. In iOS 16 and later you can adjust the effect with a slider instead of toggling it.