When Apple introduced an enormous overhaul of the iPhone's Digicam app in iOS 26 again in June, I used to be very completely satisfied certainly. The present app in iOS 18 is a complicated mess, so a redesign was lengthy overdue – and I've not too long ago been test-driving the brand new Digicam app within the iOS 26 public beta.
As TechRadar's former cameras editor, I've skilled greater than my justifiable share of annoying interfaces. And whereas Apple's present Digicam app is way from the worst offender, it does very a lot really feel like my backyard shed – with a number of years of muddle mixed with no actual try at group.
Effectively, the excellent news is that Apple's positively rolled up its sleeves and attacked this redesign with relish. The Digicam app appears very completely different, a lot so that you simply'll initially surprise the place it's tidied all the pieces to. Total, I'd name it successful to this point, however with a number of reservations…
The likes
1. The clear minimalism
First, the excellent news – the brand new Digicam app in iOS 26 is way cleaner and less complicated than the outdated one in iOS 18.
There at the moment are fewer buttons to by accident press, and the consistency of the Liquid Glass redesign makes all the pieces really feel extra cohesive and fewer complicated.
To assist scale back unintentional faucets, Apple has opened up extra space across the shutter button. Happily, the shutter nonetheless helps its standard shortcuts – maintain and swipe proper to shoot video, or maintain and swipe left for burst mode. Enjoyable reality: do you know the latter known as QuickTake, after Apple's forgotten digital digital camera?
However maybe the largest enchancment over the outdated Digicam app are the brand new Liquid Glass menus…
Join breaking information, critiques, opinion, prime tech offers, and extra.
2. The pop-up menus
My least favourite function of the present Digicam app is its Digicam Management menu. That's the one you open by tapping the complicated shortcut arrow on the prime of the display screen, or by swiping up wherever within the viewfinder.
Happily, Apple has given this an entire overhaul. Gone is the little horizontal row of hieroglyphics for options like Photographic Types and Evening Mode.
Now, whenever you swipe up from the underside of the display screen to disclose a a lot clearer grid of choices (housed inside Liquid Glass, naturally), with labels for every. Merely, it's significantly better.
Sadly, the opposite massive minimalist change – the easy Photograph and Video tabs – is barely much less profitable, however extra on that within the dislikes…
3. The improved video menu
I are inclined to shoot extra photographs than video on my iPhone, however I've all the time been pissed off by the fiddly video settings menu within the iOS Digicam app.
Fortunately, that's now been fastened in iOS 26. Fairly than having to faucet the decision or body price a number of occasions to scroll by means of varied choices, you now get the improved Liquid Glass panel above.
Like in Photograph mode, you possibly can swipe as much as entry separate video choices (flash, publicity, and motion mode), which at the moment are simpler to grasp at a look. The Video expertise remains to be simple total in comparison with Apple's Ultimate Reduce Digicam app, however that is sensible for a point-and-shoot expertise.
The dislikes
In principle, I really like the simplicity of the brand new navigation bar on the backside of the iOS 26 Digicam app. It begins with simply Video and Photograph choices seen. To disclose the opposite modes – Timelapse, Slo-Mo, Cinematic, Portrait, and Pano, to call all of them – you simply swipe left or proper.
However a few niggles have given it a little bit of a studying curve. Firstly, the default scrolling setting sees each the Liquid Glass toggle and the navigation bar behind it shifting concurrently, which is slightly disorientating. It additionally makes it troublesome to see the choices beneath your thumb.
Happily, in more moderen betas, Apple has added a brand new choice within the Digicam Settings in a piece referred to as Mode Switching, the place you'll discover a toggle for 'Basic Mode Switching'. This makes it behave extra just like the earlier Digicam app, the place you're straight swiping the wheel beneath, whereas the toggle stays central.
Hopefully, this makes it to the ultimate model of the Digicam app. I initially additionally discovered it difficult to see the navigation bar choices beneath my thumb, however then found you possibly can nonetheless scroll by means of them by swiping the display screen as a substitute. Whereas minimalism is an enchancment total, I believe some shall be initially flummoxed and discover it trickier to decide on among the picture and video modes.
2. The dearth of a Professional mode
I've been hoping to see a Professional digital camera mode come to iPhones for a number of years now, however iOS 26 has gone firmly within the different route. Does that probably open the door for a photograph equal of Apple's free Ultimate Reduce Digicam app for video? Perhaps, however there's no signal of a kind of both.
To be truthful, among the greatest digital camera apps like Halide, ProCamera, and Digicam Obscura greater than adequately fill that hole, and Apple is maybe cautious of Sherlocking them, which is when Apple kills a well-liked app by constructing the performance into its personal software program.
But when now we have a easy Liquid Glass toggle for Video and Photograph, why can't there even be one for Fundamental and Professional picture modes? That will be lots simpler than switching apps for one thing like handbook focusing, and would flip the iPhone into an excellent higher rival to the very best compact cameras.
That also doesn't look probably, so for now to the very best various is to arrange your iPhone Digicam app with among the helpful instruments hidden within the settings menu. I sometimes activate the Grid and Stage, choose Apple ProRaw within the Codecs part, after which go to Protect Settings to allow Digicam Mode and Publicity Adjustment, making my iPhone behave extra like a digital camera.
However for extra tweaks, take a look at my information on tips on how to arrange your iPhone 16 (or older mannequin) to take nice photographs.
You may also like
- iOS 26 beta 6 brings extra shock upgrades to your iPhone – and I'm already utilizing my favourite one
- iOS 26 reveals a brand new real-time translation gesture for AirPods 4 and Professional 2, and it might make your French phrase ebook a factor of the previous
- iOS 26 beta offers Apple Maps an AI improve – and it is perhaps sufficient to tempt you from Google Maps