What's New With the Camera App in iOS 18

[MacRumors]

With the iOS 18 update, Apple added new features to almost all of its built-in apps, including the Camera app. The iOS 18 Camera app includes a few small but useful improvements for timed photos, portraits, and more.

Timers

Along with the existing 3-second and 10-second timers, there's now an added 5-second timer that provides more flexibility.

Flash Settings

Flash settings can be adjusted by touching and holding on the flash button in the Camera app. It brings up Auto, On, and Off options.

These settings could be accessed in the flash options when tapping on the carrot to get to different photo controls, but a long press is quicker. A tap still turns flash off and on.

Music When Taking Photos and Videos

When you're taking a video music playing on your iPhone will no longer be paused and will continue playing. In the Settings app, there's an "Allow Audio Playback" toggle that you can turn on that ensures music will continue playing on the iPhone's speaker when a video is recording.

In prior versions of iOS, using the Camera app to capture video automatically paused any audio playing.

Apple also says that music will continue to play via Bluetooth connections when capturing a photo or video.

Next-Generation Portrait Enhancements

On the iPhone 15 and later models, iOS 18 adds Portrait Lighting controls and support for Night mode portraits when in Photos mode.

For context, Apple last year added next-generation Portraits functionality that automatically captures portrait information when using the standard photo taking mode. Previously, you needed to use the specific Portrait mode to get a Portrait shot, but that's no longer the case.

The new feature lets you take a photo without changing modes, and then choose to add depth of field Portrait effects afterward.

Read More

Additional information on new features that Apple has added in iOS 18 can be found in our iOS 18 roundup.

Article Link: What's New With the Camera App in iOS 18

 

[spaxxedout]

I wish the volume buttons could function as zoom buttons now that the capture button is here.

 

[MacBH928]

In early 2000s when they put cameras on Nokia phones I was wondering to myself "why would any one want a camera in a phone?" . Looks like I mis judged people.

Today, the camera seems to be the most important aspect of the phone and I still do not get why. I still think iphone 5 camera was good.

 

[840quadra]

For context, Apple last year added next-generation Portraits functionality that automatically captures portrait information when using the standard photo taking mode.

Recently Re-discovering this as a potential feature, I can 100% ascertain that it is 40% or less reliable on a 15 Pro. Multiple regular photos taken from my 15 pro of friends, or group shots with me in them, the Portrait options are unavailable in a majority of shots.

 

[DocMultimedia]

I like the sound of the updated portrait mode. Always wonder why they don't capture all information available for every single photo.

 

[jjwwqq]

It’d be better if the toggle for audio playback while recording a video ends up in the camera app, rather than settings. Too much bouncing around.

 

[BR&ON]

LET ME CHOOSE MY OWN TIMER TIME. Also, let me choose if I want multiple pics taken on the self timer or just one pic.

 

[EM2013]

Can we get the toggle back for saving a photo copy without hdr on?

 

[eperitus]

Why is it so hard to find the timer in the first place? I’ve had this phone for 3 years and finally discovered the timer appears on the BOTTOM after you click a tiny dropdown on the very TOP of the camera app. It used to be easier than this.

 

[williamyun7]

why not those features can be enabled on iphone 15??

 

[QquegChristian]

Not pausing music when shooting photos and video is going to make my coworkers and I so happy. We shoot photos and video for a deals website in stores all day and almost never need to record sound. I can finally listen to music or podcasts while I work!

Sometimes I’ll have to spend 10 minutes just organizing a shelf in a store to look better but it hasn’t been worth bothering to listen to anything because it will constantly get interrupted the hundred times a day I open the camera app.

 

[Gaprofitt]

Yawn. Samsung had these in 2014.

 

[zach-coleman]

Kind of off topic but I wish they would add parity for the 3s, 5s, 10s timer for the screenshot app on macOS… so annoying that the minimum timer is 5s.

 

[BoomTIP]

Am I confused?

“Flash settings” claim to provide the new options of “Flash auto, On, and Off”, but my iPhone 14 Pro flash settings currently provide “ Auto, On, and Flash Off” settings verbatim… is there a difference between those??

 

[svish]

Option to play music while taking photo and video is a welcome change.

 

[Guacamole]

the question is.. will the over processed images still there thanks to the awful HDR? will the night photos still look like paintings ?

 

[adrianlondon]

It's still a bad UI for the photo options. Click/swipe an arrow/chevron at the top of the phone and all the options appear at the bottom of the screen instead of at the top, under the arrow.

Plus, as mentioned by @BR&ON, the burst mode can't be disabled when a timer is set (only workaround is to turn the flash on, which causes other issues).

 

[titanium alloy]

Why is it so hard to find the timer in the first place? I’ve had this phone for 3 years and finally discovered the timer appears on the BOTTOM after you click a tiny dropdown on the very TOP of the camera app. It used to be easier than this.

same way filters are hidden all the way at the end of said dropdown

no way there's not a better approach than this. feels almost like an afterthought

 

[deckard666]

Yawn. Samsung had these in 2014.

In that case they had enough time to fix my atmos soundbar issues from 2024 but they havent.....

 

[Reeneman]

It’s nice to have the portrait option now as well with night mode shots with iOS 18. It only works with the main camera, not with the selfie cam.
Always nice to see such added features even for „older“ models.

 

[Apple_Glen_UK]

In early 2000s when they put cameras on Nokia phones I was wondering to myself "why would any one want a camera in a phone?" . Looks like I mis judged people.

Today, the camera seems to be the most important aspect of the phone and I still do not get why. I still think iphone 5 camera was good.

I'm in the UK and I recall in the late 1990's seeing a guy called Chris Wright (successful businessman who co-founded a company called Chrysalis Records) on TV explaining that at the time we were at the very start of mobile phones and that in the future they'd have cameras, would play music, would have the internet on them and you'd be able to watch films etc. I thought he was talking complete rubbish. But he was clearly right and I know nothing! 😆

 

[Astrohunter]

Did they invent intervalometer or manual focus already in stock app?

 

[Astrohunter]

In early 2000s when they put cameras on Nokia phones I was wondering to myself "why would any one want a camera in a phone?" . Looks like I mis judged people.

Today, the camera seems to be the most important aspect of the phone and I still do not get why. I still think iphone 5 camera was good.

I literally prefer photos from old iPhones than my iPhone 13 Pro Max.

Can’t stand the oversharpening, oil painting like photos, with fake bokeh.

 

[Guacamole]

I literally prefer photos from old iPhones than my iPhone 13 Pro Max.

Can’t stand the oversharpening, oil painting like photos, with fake bokeh.

Same here, I hate my low light photos from my 13Pro. My old 6s took more natural looking pics than the 13.
If the photo quality was better on the 16 I might upgrade but if we are still getting the same over processed images I'll pass

 

[spamabyss]

In early 2000s when they put cameras on Nokia phones I was wondering to myself "why would any one want a camera in a phone?" . Looks like I mis judged people.

Today, the camera seems to be the most important aspect of the phone and I still do not get why. I still think iphone 5 camera was good.

Might as well ask why would any one want a camera period? They are good enough for most family, holiday and snapshot purposes now. iPhone 5 not so much.