photos iconBurst Mode refers to when the camera on your iOS device captures a series of photos in rapid succession, at a rate of ten frames per second. It's a great way to shoot an action scene or an unexpected event, since you're always more likely to end up with the picture you were aiming for.

For instance, the picture below was taken when the sun came out momentarily from behind the clouds to throw light on the beautiful yellow ocher leaves of a tree. Burst Mode made it possible to shoot the whole event and then save out the one shot that captured the tree at its most vivid during its brief illumination.

To take a photo in Burst Mode, launch the Camera app from the Lock Screen – if your device is unlocked, select the Camera app from the Home screen or slide the Control Center into view and launch it from there. Once you have a shot in frame, tap and hold the shutter button at the bottom of the Camera interface for the duration of the scene that you're trying to capture.

IMG 2349
Notice the counter increase at the bottom of the frame for as long as you hold down the shutter. This indicates how many shots are being captured in the current burst. Simply take your finger off the shutter when you want to end the burst of shots.

When you take a series of burst photos, they automatically appear in the Photo app under the Album name Bursts. You'll also find them in your main Photo Library as well as the Moments section found in the Photos tab. Here's how to view your burst photos and pick out the best images from them for safe keeping.

How to View Burst Photos

  1. Launch the Photos app.
  2. Tap a collection of burst photos – they appear in the Photos Library as a single picture, but if you look closely, you'll see more images stacked underneath the top thumbnail image.
    taking burst photos 1

  3. Tap Select at the bottom of the screen.
  4. Swipe the film strip-like ribbon of images below the photo to view the other shots in the burst.

taking burst photos 2
Any dots you see below images in a burst indicate that Apple's algorithms think they have the best focus and detail in the set, but of course you may think differently.

How to Save Individual Images in Burst Photos

  1. Tap a stack of burst photos in your Photo Library.
  2. Tap Select in the top-right corner of the screen.
  3. Tap each image in the series that you want to keep.
  4. Tap Done in the top-right corner of the screen.
  5. To keep only the images that you ticked in the burst series, tap Keep Only Favorites. Otherwise, tap Keep everything.

taking burst photos 3

Related Forum: iOS 12

Top Rated Comments

Mac Fly (film) Avatar
91 months ago
Anyone know how to combine several burst photos into one on iOS? The easiest way; preferably an automatic method.

Example photo:

Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ColdShadow Avatar
91 months ago
How to turn off this annoying feature permanently??
alot of my photos are saved as burst all the time.I hate it!
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mac Fly (film) Avatar
91 months ago
How to turn off this annoying feature permanently??
alot of my photos are saved as burst all the time.I hate it!
Use volume button as shutter and press with a click.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
RightMACatU Avatar
91 months ago
How to turn off this annoying feature permanently??
alot of my photos are saved as burst all the time.I hate it!
Ahhh this!!! I would double thumb-you-up if I could.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
iapplelove Avatar
91 months ago
Burst photo and Live Photo...two things I shut off immediately.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
yaxomoxay Avatar
91 months ago
Burst photo and Live Photo...two things I shut off immediately.
Live Photos is actually pretty cool. It’s one of the things I radically changed my mind upon. I captured quite a few nice moments with it, and thanks to the possibility to change the main picture I was gladly happy to find out multiple times that a picture taken on a very slightly different moment was much better than the one I actually took.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro and Air Feature

Two iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone Air Colors Appear to Scratch More Easily

Friday September 19, 2025 10:02 am PDT by
As reported by Bloomberg today, some of the new iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone Air models on display at Apple Stores today are already scratched and scuffed. French blog Consomac also reported on this topic. The scratches appear to be most prominent on models with darker finishes, including the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max in Deep Blue, and the iPhone Air in Space Black. Images Credit: Consoma ...
iOS 26

iOS 26.0.1 Coming Soon, Likely With iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro Fix

Thursday September 18, 2025 9:17 am PDT by
Apple is preparing to release iOS 26.0.1, according to a private account on X with a proven track record of sharing information about future iOS versions. The update will have a build number of 23A350, or similar, the account said. It is likely that iOS 26.0.1 will fix a camera-related bug on the new iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro models. In his iPhone Air review, CNN Underscored's Henry T. ...
iPhone 17 Pro Colors

iPhone 17 Pro Max Teardown Reveals Qualcomm's Snapdragon X80 Modem for 5G

Friday September 19, 2025 7:39 am PDT by
While the iPhone Air is equipped with Apple's custom C1X modem for cellular connectivity, all of the iPhone 17 models are outfitted with Qualcomm modems still. A teardown video shared on Chinese platform Bilibili today (via Reddit) appears to confirm the iPhone 17 Pro Max is equipped with Qualcomm's Snapdragon X80 modem in particular. The same modem is likely used in the iPhone 17 and iPhone ...
iphone 17 pro max techwoven

Here Are The Best Cases You Can Buy for Your New iPhone 17 and iPhone Air

Friday September 19, 2025 6:46 am PDT by
Apple's new iPhones launch today, and there are plenty of options to choose from when it comes to protecting your new device from drops and scratches. In this article, we're taking a look at some of the best options for iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Air cases, as well as a few charging accessories. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a...
iOS 26 on Three iPhones

iOS 26's Liquid Glass Design Draws Criticism From Users

Wednesday September 17, 2025 2:56 pm PDT by
It's been two days since iOS 26 was released, and Apple's new Liquid Glass design is even more divisive than expected. Any major design change can create controversy as people get used to the new look, but the MacRumors forums, Reddit, Apple Support Communities, and social media sites seem to feature more criticism than praise as people discuss the update. Complaints There are a long...
iphone 17 pro inside

iPhone 17 Teardowns Confirm SIM and eSIM-Only Battery Capacities

Friday September 19, 2025 8:39 am PDT by
YouTube channel REWA Technology today shared an iPhone 17 Pro teardown video, offering a closer look inside the model with a SIM card tray. We are still waiting for repair website iFixit to share a more comprehensive teardown of the latest iPhone models, but this video provides a good look in the meantime. The device features various internal design changes, including larger rear camera...