Get ready: the iPhone's camera app is getting a complete redesign
Image: Apple Apple kicked off its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) today. During the keynote to mark the event's start, the company revealed that it is completely redesigning the iPhone’s camera app in the next version of its mobile operating system, iOS 26*. The company says the design will be “more intuitive” and “elevate the two capture modes you use most: photo and video.” The iPhone’s camera app has looked largely the same since the last big iOS redesign, 2013’s iOS 7. However, the company has added dozens of new features and modes since then, making the app feel cluttered to some users. For example, if you want to take a panorama, you have to swipe through the portrait and spatial photo modes first. Different modes will be broken into subcategories for both photo and video, making it easier to find what you want. Image: Apple By default, the new interface will present you with the modes for shooting standard photos and videos. You can access other modes, like “cinematic” video or portrait photos by swiping on the switcher, but they won't show by default, making it harder to tap them accidentally. The app follows Apple's “Liquid Glass” design language, which will be applied to the rest of iOS 26. This means that settings and controls will be displayed as semi-transparent windows over the photo preview; the current version of the app has a few settings panes, which appear on black bars beside the preview. Apple is bringing tabs to its Photos app. Image: Apple Apple says the camera app is getting a feature called "lens cleaning hint" as well, though it hasn't said anything else about the feature. The Photos app, which was subject to a relatively controversial redesign last year, is also getting a fresh coat of “Liquid Glass” paint. Beyond the purely aesthetic changes, your photo library and collections of albums and photo types will now live in different tabs, which should make them easier to differentiate; in the iOS 18 version, they were presented together on one scrolling screen. Finally, Apple is also updating its AirPod wireless earbuds by adding camera remote functionality. Users will be able to press and hold the AirPods stem to take a photo or start recording a video. A press-and-hold will end the recording. Apple says this function will work with its native camera app, as well as "compatible third-party camera apps on iPhone or iPad." Apple says iOS 26 will be available "this fall," and it'll run on iPhone 11 and later; Apple is dropping support for the iPhone XS and XR, which can run iOS 18. * The current release is known as iOS 18, but Apple has changed its naming scheme; it will now follow a model year format similar to cars. Eg., iOS 26 will release in late 2025.
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| Image: Apple |
Apple kicked off its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) today. During the keynote to mark the event's start, the company revealed that it is completely redesigning the iPhone’s camera app in the next version of its mobile operating system, iOS 26*. The company says the design will be “more intuitive” and “elevate the two capture modes you use most: photo and video.”
The iPhone’s camera app has looked largely the same since the last big iOS redesign, 2013’s iOS 7. However, the company has added dozens of new features and modes since then, making the app feel cluttered to some users. For example, if you want to take a panorama, you have to swipe through the portrait and spatial photo modes first.
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Different modes will be broken into subcategories for both photo and video, making it easier to find what you want. Image: Apple |
By default, the new interface will present you with the modes for shooting standard photos and videos. You can access other modes, like “cinematic” video or portrait photos by swiping on the switcher, but they won't show by default, making it harder to tap them accidentally.
The app follows Apple's “Liquid Glass” design language, which will be applied to the rest of iOS 26. This means that settings and controls will be displayed as semi-transparent windows over the photo preview; the current version of the app has a few settings panes, which appear on black bars beside the preview.
 |
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Apple is bringing tabs to its Photos app. Image: Apple |
Apple says the camera app is getting a feature called "lens cleaning hint" as well, though it hasn't said anything else about the feature.
The Photos app, which was subject to a relatively controversial redesign last year, is also getting a fresh coat of “Liquid Glass” paint. Beyond the purely aesthetic changes, your photo library and collections of albums and photo types will now live in different tabs, which should make them easier to differentiate; in the iOS 18 version, they were presented together on one scrolling screen.
Finally, Apple is also updating its AirPod wireless earbuds by adding camera remote functionality. Users will be able to press and hold the AirPods stem to take a photo or start recording a video. A press-and-hold will end the recording. Apple says this function will work with its native camera app, as well as "compatible third-party camera apps on iPhone or iPad."
Apple says iOS 26 will be available "this fall," and it'll run on iPhone 11 and later; Apple is dropping support for the iPhone XS and XR, which can run iOS 18.
* The current release is known as iOS 18, but Apple has changed its naming scheme; it will now follow a model year format similar to cars. Eg., iOS 26 will release in late 2025.
