Lock iPhone Auto Exposure and Focus With Camera Control - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Lock iPhone Auto Exposure and Focus With Camera Control

by

Apple's iPhone 16 and newer models include a new Camera Control button (located on the lower right-hand side when holding the phone in portrait mode), and includes a handy bit of functionality that can make focusing in on subjects a lot simpler.

iphone 16 capture button
It's possible to lock the camera's auto exposure and auto focus settings with a light press of Camera Control. The option isn't on by default, but you can enable it in the following way.

  1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
  2. Select Camera.
  3. Select Camera Control.
  4. Under "Light Press," toggle on the switch beside AE/EF Lock.

settings

That's all there is to it – the change should take place immediately, allowing you to lock in auto-exposure and auto-focus settings with a light press before you take your shot.

Require Screen On

Apple also added a new Camera Control toggle in Settings ➝ Camera ➝ Camera Control. The new toggle is called Require Screen On. When enabled, this setting requires that your iPhone screen is illuminated before a press of the Camera Control button will open the Camera app or a compatible third-party camera app.

camera control require screen on ios setting
It's a handy option if you find yourself pressing the button accidentally.

Popular Stories

Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature 1

Apple Apparently Sees Camera Control as Key Foldable iPhone Feature

Monday April 20, 2026 7:40 am PDT by
Apple's first foldable iPhone will be eSIM only and feature a Camera Control despite its ultra-thin design, according to a known leaker. In a series of new posts, the leaker known as "Instant Digital" said that Apple has made deliberate engineering compromises to ensure that the first foldable iPhone features a Camera Control button, despite it being at least 1.1mm thinner than the iPhone...
iOS 26

iOS 26.5 Features: Everything New in iOS 26.5

Monday May 11, 2026 5:09 pm PDT by
Apple released iOS 26.5 after a few months of beta testing, and while it doesn't have the Siri features we were hoping for since those are being held until iOS 27, there are a handful of useful changes worth knowing about. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. End-to-End Encryption for RCS Support for end-to-end encryption (E2EE) for RCS messages between iPhone and...
Dynamic Island iPhone 18 Pro Feature

11 Reasons to Wait for the iPhone 18 Pro

Monday May 11, 2026 9:01 am PDT by
We're only four months out from the launch of Apple's premium next-generation smartphone lineup, and while we're not expecting a sea change in terms of functionality, there are still several enhancements rumored to be coming to the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth noting is that Apple is reportedly planning a major change to its iPhone release cycle this year, adopting a...