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

Four iPhone 18 Pro Colors Mock Feature

iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Ultra: Pre-Orders and Release Date

Thursday July 30, 2026 6:12 am PDT by
Apple has yet to reveal when the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Ultra will be announced and released, but the dates usually follow a familiar pattern. Labor Day is September 7 this year. The last time the holiday fell on that day was in 2020, but the iPhone event that year was delayed until October due to the COVID-19 pandemic. So, the last time Labor Day was on September 7 in a normal year was in ...
macbook ultra

MacBook Ultra's New Design Won't Stay Exclusive for Long

Thursday July 30, 2026 6:00 pm PDT by
The touchscreen and the OLED panel have dominated discussion about Apple's next high-end laptop, but the redesign wrapped around them may prove to be an equally consequential change, largely because it is not expected to stay unique to the machine for long. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman last week laid out Apple's plan to refresh every Mac it sells over the next two years. In the report, he...
Apple Event Logo

Apple Working on All-New Operating System

Wednesday July 29, 2026 11:39 am PDT by
Apple is developing an all-new operating system that is essentially a mix of tvOS, watchOS, and iOS, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In a report this week, he said the operating system will feature a grid of icons, widgets, and apps, along with customizable clock faces. The new software platform is intended for Apple's long-rumored smart home hub. With built-in facial recognition,...