Camera controls

Some of the camera controls are available as gestures.

Swipe, pinch, press and hold

Swipe sideways to switch between photo and video. You don’t need to tap the button below.

Pinch to zoom. By default the avatar grows with it, but turn off “Avatar Zoom” in the menu and only the background changes, leaving the avatar the size you appear at. Useful when you want the scenery closer without changing where you stand.

Tap to set focus and brightness there, then press and hold to lock them. While the frame is showing, drag up or down to adjust brightness, and the same adjustment is applied to the avatar.

Tip

The volume buttons also take a shot. On iPhone 16 and later, a light press on Camera Control brings up zoom and brightness sliders.

Shooting in landscape

The screen stays upright, but holding the device sideways makes the photo or video landscape. Only the icons change direction, so you can keep shooting the way you are holding it.

Can’t find what you shot

Shooting alone doesn’t put anything in Photos. Tap “Save”. The photos button at the top left shows only what you shot in this app.