iOS 18.1 Beta 5 Adds New Selfie Option for Camera Control

With the fifth beta of iOS 18.1, Apple has made a small tweak to the Camera Control button that was introduced on the iPhone 16, ‌iPhone 16‌ Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and ‌iPhone 16 Pro‌ Max.

iphone 16 capture button 2
When you dig into the Camera Control settings, there is now a way to set it to the front-facing camera without having to interact with the iPhone's display.

To get to the selfie camera, open up the Camera app with a press on the Camera Control button, and then use a swipe gesture on the button to scroll through the lenses. The person icon at the very top swaps to the front-facing selfie camera.

iphone 16 selfie camera control
Note that if you have Camera Control set to a different setting, you will need to open up the Camera app, activate Camera Control, and then tap on the screen to swap tools. The selfie camera and lens options are under the "Cameras" heading. The last tool you used will be the tool Camera Control opens with.

Prior to iOS 18.1, you could use this gesture to swipe through the different lens options, like 0.5x, 1x, 2x, and 5x (Pro only), but now it also includes the selfie camera to make it easier to get to all of the available lens options.

Related Roundups: iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Pro
Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro to Reverse iPhone X Design Decision

Monday July 7, 2025 9:46 am PDT by
Since the iPhone X in 2017, all of Apple's highest-end iPhone models have featured either stainless steel or titanium frames, but it has now been rumored that this design decision will be coming to an end with the iPhone 17 Pro models later this year. In a post on Chinese social media platform Weibo today, the account Instant Digital said that the iPhone 17 Pro models will have an aluminum...
iOS 26 Feature

Everything New in iOS 26 Beta 3

Monday July 7, 2025 1:20 pm PDT by
Apple is continuing to refine and update iOS 26, and beta three features smaller changes than we saw in beta 2, plus further tweaks to the Liquid Glass design. Apple is gearing up for the next phase of beta testing, and the company has promised that a public beta is set to come out in July. Transparency In some apps like Apple Music, Podcasts, and the App Store, Apple has toned down the...
imac video apple feature

Apple Launching These 15+ Products Later This Year

Sunday July 6, 2025 8:05 am PDT by
The calendar has turned to July, meaning that 2025 is now more than half over. And while the summer months are often quiet for Apple, the company still has more than a dozen products coming later this year, according to rumors. Below, we have outlined at least 15 new Apple products that are expected to launch later this year, along with key rumored features for each. iPhone 17 Series iPho...
iphone 16 pro models 1

Here's How the iPhone 17 Pro Max Will Compare to the iPhone 17 Pro

Saturday July 5, 2025 1:00 pm PDT by
Apple should unveil the iPhone 17 series in September, and there might be one bigger difference between the Pro and Pro Max models this year. As always, the Pro Max model will be larger than the Pro model:iPhone 17 Pro: 6.3-inch display iPhone 17 Pro Max: 6.9-inch displayGiven the Pro Max is physically larger than the Pro, it has more internal space, allowing for a larger battery and...
iPhone Car Key Kia

Here's Which Vehicles Offer iPhone Car Keys

Sunday July 6, 2025 3:03 pm PDT by
In 2020, Apple added a digital car key feature to its Wallet app, allowing users to lock, unlock, and start a compatible vehicle with an iPhone or Apple Watch. The feature is currently offered by select automakers, including Audi, BMW, Hyundai, Kia, Genesis, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, and a handful of others, and it is set to expand further. Apple has a web page with a list of vehicle models that ...
iphone 17 pro render majin bu

New iPhone 17 Pro Renders Highlight Apple Logo and MagSafe Design Changes

Sunday July 6, 2025 8:43 pm PDT by
New renders today provide the best look yet relocated Apple logo and redesigned MagSafe magnet array of the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max. Image via Majin Bu. Several of the design changes coming to the iPhone 17 Pro model have been rumored for some time, such as the elongated camera bump that spans the full width of the device, with the LiDAR Scanner and flash moving to the right side. ...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 14 New Features

Friday July 4, 2025 1:05 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are just over two months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models. Latest Rumors These rumors surfaced in June and July:Apple logo repositioned: Apple's logo may have a lower position on the back of the iPhone 17 Pro models, compared to previous...
apple account card feature

Apple Account Card Expanding to More Countries

Tuesday July 8, 2025 7:34 pm PDT by
Apple is expanding the ability to add an Apple Account Card to the Wallet app to more countries, according to backend Apple Pay changes. With iOS 15.5, Apple updated the Wallet app to allow users to add an Apple Account Card, which displays the Apple credit balance associated with an Apple ID. If you receive an Apple gift card, for example, it is added to an Apple Account that is also...

Top Rated Comments

msackey Avatar
10 months ago
I'm also surprised why such a seemingly simple concept wasn't already part of iOS 18.0 when released as general release. Why would it wait until iOS 18.1?
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
J InTech82 Avatar
10 months ago

I'm also surprised why such a seemingly simple concept wasn't already part of iOS 18.0 when released as general release. Why would it wait until iOS 18.1?
Probably an after thought.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Antes Avatar
10 months ago
the most useful function would have been to add a “Focus” button. Where I can slide the focus around or at least push the button instead of reaching for and tapping the screen
honestly the use ive had for it is for adjusting EV. Highly highly recommend turning off “Clean Preview“ in Settings. Not sure why this is on by default.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
contacos Avatar
10 months ago
Read this like 5 times and I still don't understand what that even means ? so far I only use this button to open the camera, everything else seems too complicated for something that is already shown on the screen anyway. The few times I tried it, it made my photos blurry because I was ever so slightly shaking the phone when I pushed the button. I also have a hard time differenciating between a press to take a photo and a press to get to the different options and don't care enough to figure it out either
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Kylo83 Avatar
10 months ago
You do realise it will takes ages to get to that option when where your thumb is on the screen is to switch to selfie cam, so why would any one use the camera button which will take a while to get to that option
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Kylo83 Avatar
10 months ago
Someone explain why someone would be so against using the touch screen like we always have the actual button to change to selfie or rear cameras is there where your thumb is? Plz someone explain how this is better
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)