Remotely controlling the shutter on your iPhone's camera lets you include yourself in the photo while avoiding the limitations of a selfie. For example, it allows you to take a picture of a wider scene with you included in the frame, which is ideal for landscape shots or group photos. If your ‌iPhone‌ is on a tripod, taking the shot remotely also reduces the risk of camera shake. Here's how to do it.

iphone12protriplelenscamera
There are more ways than one to take a picture on your ‌iPhone‌ remotely. If you have an Apple Watch, you can open the Camera Remote app that comes included.

How to Control Your iPhone's Camera With Apple Watch

  1. Launch the Camera Remote app on your wrist.
  2. Position your ‌iPhone‌ to frame the shot you want to take.
  3. Tap the Shutter button on your Apple Watch screen.

camera remote
By default, the shot is taken after three seconds to give you time to move into position, but you can disable the time and control other settings including flash, Live Photo, and HDR by tapping the ellipsis (three dots) button. The menu that this calls up also lets you switch between the front and rear ‌iPhone‌ camera.

If you don't have an Apple Watch, don't worry. You can also use Voice Control to remotely control the camera on your ‌iPhone‌. That's because you can trigger the camera shutter with the volume buttons, which can also be controlled with your voice. Here's how it works.

How to Use Voice Control to Take a Photo

settings

  1. Launch the Settings app.
  2. Tap Accessibility.
  3. Tap Voice Control.
  4. Turn on the switch next to Voice Control so it's in the green ON position. (You should see a little microphone icon in the top-left corner of your screen indicating that Voice Control is active.)
  5. Next, launch the Camera app and line up your shot.
  6. When you're ready, say "Turn up the volume," to activate the camera's shutter and take the picture.
  7. When you're finished, you can disable Voice Control by toggling the switch again in Settings.

How to Take a Picture Remotely With Siri

If you're familiar with the Shortcuts app, you can find a shortcut in the Gallery called "Say Cheese" that lets you use Siri to control your ‌iPhone‌'s camera remotely.

siri
Once you've added it to your active shortcuts and given it permission to access your camera and microphone, you'll be able to take photos remotely simply by saying "Hey ‌Siri‌, say cheese."

Top Rated Comments

ozziegn Avatar
37 months ago
I just tried the "say cheese" command with Siri on my 12 Pro Max and it pretty much sucks just like anything else that involves using Siri. I tried it and it takes like ten seconds to think about what it needs to do then another five seconds to execute the command. This sucks. I love my iPhones to death but Siri has never, ever impressed me to say the least. I rarely use any sort of voice command stuff but when I do, I use Google which does the job 98% of the time. Unlike Siri which might do the job 2% of the time...
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
haruhiko Avatar
37 months ago
Useful tips esp. for the voice control trick.
Anyway I just use the camera remote app on my Apple Watch. It’s one of the most handy and underrated feature of the Watch.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
LeadingHeat Avatar
37 months ago

Is that a typo? Seems like it should be “Take a picture” instead.
You can take a picture by pressing the volume rocker buttons when the camera is open. So with voice control, you can navigate around the iOS interface with just your voice. I haven’t tested it but I’m sure you could also “choose” the white circle icon (to take a picture normally) using voice control, but the volume button is easier to access.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
LeadingHeat Avatar
37 months ago
I love Siri Shortcuts. There are so many useful things I have built out with it. Automations, HomeKit, and just other useful tasks. Definitely going to make one for this camera shortcut! Thank you for this post!
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
techfreak23 Avatar
37 months ago
Probably one of the best Apple Watch features, especially during a pandemic. I’ve been using it since the Apple Watch first came out, but I recently used it this weekend in Tahoe with my tripod for the group pictures. Made it so everyone was in the shots and we didn’t have to ask random strangers to touch our phones. I did forget it in the hotel for one part of the trip, so I had to find spots where I could prop my phone. Those photos obviously didn’t come out as great.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
manu chao Avatar
37 months ago

Thanks for sharing, very helpful ... but as with any camera, you need a tripod and how many iPhone users have tripods? or a secure place, object or such to keep the phone stable and safe, that's typically the hardest part.
With a phone you just have to get creative and lots of everyday objects become tripods. When I tried out these commands, the closest object useable as a tripod was an (Oxford) shoe. Wedged the phone into it perpendicular to the axis of the shoe, pointing towards the heel. It had the advantage of providing some safety (ie, if the phone slipped out of its position, it would slide into the shoe and not fall to the ground) and allowed some tilting to adjust the 'aiming angle'. Your mileage might vary depending on your particular shoe.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iPhone 16 Camera Lozenge 2 Perspective Gray

Five Key Upgrades Coming to iPhone 16

Friday March 15, 2024 1:45 pm PDT by
The iPhone is Apple's top-selling product, and it gets an update every year. In 2024, we're expecting the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro lineup, with an arguably more interesting feature set than we got with the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Capture Button All four iPhone 16 models are set to get a whole new button, which will be...
When To Expect New iPads Feature 1

Apple to Announce New iPads on March 26, Rumors Claim

Monday March 18, 2024 4:02 am PDT by
Apple is widely expected to release new iPad Air and OLED iPad Pro models in the next few weeks. According to new rumors coming out of Asia, the company will announce its new iPads on Tuesday, March 26. Chinese leaker Instant Digital on Weibo this morning 日发布%23">claimed that the date will see some sort of announcement from Apple related to new iPads, but stopped short of calling it an...
airpods 3 orange

Two New AirPods 4 Models Expected to Launch in September or October

Sunday March 17, 2024 7:56 am PDT by
Apple suppliers will begin production of two new fourth-generation AirPods models in May, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Based on this production timeframe, he expects the headphones to be released in September or October. Gurman expects both fourth-generation AirPods models to feature a new design with better fit, improved sound quality, and an updated charging case with a USB-C...
iphone se 4 modified flag edges

iPhone SE 4 Expected to Depreciate Heavily

Tuesday March 12, 2024 9:04 am PDT by
Resale value trends suggest the iPhone SE 4 may not hold its value as well as Apple's flagship models, according to SellCell. According to the report, Apple's iPhone SE models have historically depreciated much more rapidly than the company's more premium offerings. The third-generation iPhone SE, which launched in March 2022, experienced a significant drop in resale value, losing 42.6%...
iOS 17 Passkey With Apple ACCOUNT Feature

'Apple ID' Expected to Change to 'Apple Account' Starting With iOS 18

Sunday March 17, 2024 7:13 am PDT by
MacRumors was first to report that Apple was planning to rebrand "Apple ID" to "Apple Account" across its software platforms and websites like iCloud.com as early as this year, and now Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has corroborated this change. A mockup of the new Apple Account branding In his Power On newsletter today, Gurman said the new "Apple Account" branding will start to be used later this...
General iOS 17 Feature Orange Purple

iOS 17.4.1 Update for iPhone is Imminent

Monday March 18, 2024 5:27 am PDT by
iOS 17.4.1 and iPadOS 17.4.1 should be released within the next few days, with a build number of 21E235, according to a source with a proven track record. MacRumors previously reported that Apple was internally testing iOS 17.4.1. As a minor update for the iPhone, it will likely address software bugs and/or security vulnerabilities. It is unclear if the update will include any other changes. ...
M3 iPad Feature 3

New iPads Likely to Begin Shipping in April

Monday March 18, 2024 9:52 am PDT by
Apple's new iPad Pro models with OLED displays will likely begin shipping to customers in April, according to information shared today by Ross Young, CEO of display industry research firm Display Supply Chain Consultants. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman also said the new iPad Pro models might not ship until "deeper" into April in his Power On newsletter on Sunday:I've repeatedly said that new...