If you're looking for a great way to capture a shot of an action scene or an unexpected event on your iPhone, try Burst mode in Apple's stock Camera app. In Burst mode, the camera on your iPhone captures a series of photos in rapid succession, at a rate of ten frames per second.

iphone 16 camera
When photographing anything dynamic like sports events, wildlife, or children at play, burst mode increases the likelihood of obtaining sharp, well-timed images. By taking multiple shots in quick succession, you can select the best frame where the subject's motion is perfectly frozen. Here's how to shoot Burst mode photos on iPhone.

Shooting in Burst Mode

  1. In the Camera app, press and drag the shutter button to the left beneath the viewfinder.
  2. Keep your finger pressed down to continue taking photos in rapid succession.
  3. Take your finger off the shutter when you want to end the burst of shots.

camera

When shooting in Burst mode, notice how the counter increases in the shutter's original position for as long as you hold it down. This indicates how many shots are being captured in the current burst.

Apple also includes an option in iOS settings that when enabled lets you press and hold the Volume Up button to take Burst shots. Go to Settings ➝ Camera, then turn on Use Volume Up for Burst.

Choosing the Best Shot

  1. After shooting in Burst mode, tap the image thumbnail in the Camera app, or open the Photos app and select the Burst you just captured.
  2. Tap Burst in the top-left corner, then tap the best shot or shots you want to keep as an individual photo. (You can swipe across the photos or scroll the row of thumbnails below to view them.) Gray dots below the thumbnails mark the suggested photos to keep.
  3. Tap Done, then choose Keep Everything or Keep only X Favorite (X being the number of shots you selected).

photos

When you take a series of burst photos, they automatically appear in the Photos app under the Album name "Bursts." You'll also find them in the Recent Days section.

Top Rated Comments

MasterControlProgram Avatar
12 months ago

Are you serious Matthew? This feature has been in place since those “early days”.

Imagine you were flying and the pilot didn’t know all the controls of the aircraft. You are that pilot.
Wasn't the original burst mode activated by holding the button though? These days that activates video recording, so it's understandable not to think to swipe the button left to trigger burst mode.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Razorpit Avatar
12 months ago
Thanks for the reminder. This is a feature I should use more often than I do.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
rotlex Avatar
12 months ago
No idea why they ever changed the method for doing burst. Just holding down the shutter buttron was so much more intuitive. Why not allow it to be customized to the uers preference?
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mattkowalski Avatar
12 months ago
Great feature…. but….

In the early days of iOS, you could discover features by exploring. The interface was simple and intuitive. Now there are features like this, hidden behind obscure gestures/actions. I’d never have found this if I’d not seen the article. Maybe that’s just me.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
macjaffa Avatar
12 months ago
So i just tried this. In 14 years of iPhone ownership i dont think i have ever done ‘burst’ shooting. Should be press and hold for burst and swipe for video imo. You need to know you want a burst before shooting you can’t just press harder like a dslr
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ApAx Avatar
12 months ago
You used to be able to press and hold the on screen button. There is already an on-screen label to switch to video mode and cycle through all camera modes. I expect a dedicated burst-only mode button to be added to iPhone 17 to bring clarity and ease of use to the incomprehensibly difficult on-screen button that we have had for 17 years.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 26

Everything New in iOS 26.1 Beta 1

Monday September 22, 2025 12:44 pm PDT by
Apple released the first beta of iOS 26.1 today, just a week after launching iOS 26. iOS 26.1 mainly adds new languages to Apple Intelligence, but there are a few other features that are worth knowing about. New Apple Intelligence Languages Apple Intelligence is now available in Danish, Dutch, Norwegian, Portuguese (Portugal), Swedish, Turkish, Chinese (Traditional), and Vietnamese. AirPo...
apple tv 4k new orange

Next Apple TV Expected to Launch This Year With These New Features

Monday September 22, 2025 10:00 am PDT by
The next Apple TV is expected to be released later this year, and a handful of new features and changes have been rumored for the device. Below, we recap what to expect from the next Apple TV, according to rumors. Likely Features N1 Chip With Wi-Fi 7 Last year, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said the next Apple TV would be equipped with Apple's own combined Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip, which is...
Apple Intelligence General Feature 2

iOS 26.1 Adds New Apple Intelligence Languages and Expands AirPods Live Translation

Monday September 22, 2025 11:15 am PDT by
With iOS 26.1, Apple Intelligence is gaining support for additional languages, including Danish, Dutch, Norwegian, Portuguese (Portugal), Swedish, Turkish, Chinese (Traditional), and Vietnamese. Apple announced plans to expand the languages that can be used with Apple Intelligence last year, and now the added language support is here. Apple Intelligence is now available in the following...
iPhone 17 Pro and Air N1 Feature

Some iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone Air Users Experiencing Intermittent Wi-Fi Issue

Monday September 22, 2025 8:44 am PDT by
Apple's latest iPhone models launched on Friday, and some early adopters of the devices are experiencing intermittent Wi-Fi issues. Affected customers say Wi-Fi connectivity periodically cuts out on the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, and iPhone Air, with hundreds of comments about the issue posted across the MacRumors Forums, Reddit, and the Apple Support Community over the...
iPhone 17 Pro USB C Port

iPhone 17 Pro Max's USB-C Charging Speeds Tested With Apple Chargers

Monday September 22, 2025 7:29 am PDT by
The website ChargerLAB has tested the iPhone 17 Pro Max's USB-C charging speeds with a variety of Apple's chargers, from 18W to 140W. The device reached a peak charging speed of around 36W with the following Apple chargers:40W Dynamic Power Adapter with 60W Max 61W USB-C Power Adapter 67W USB-C Power Adapter 70W USB-C Power Adapter 96W USB-C Power Adapter 140W USB-C Power AdapterFor...
Apple Foldable Thumb

Foldable iPhone Like 'Two Titanium iPhone Airs' Joined at the Hinge

Monday September 22, 2025 2:16 am PDT by
Next year's rumored foldable iPhone will showcase an ultra-thin design resembling "two titanium iPhone Airs side-by-side," according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Writing in the Q&A section of his latest Power On newsletter, Gurman says Apple's first foldable device will be "super thin and a design achievement," combining Apple's thinnest iPhone form factor with cutting-edge folding...
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 ...
iPhone 17 Pro Colors

Skipped the iPhone 17 Pro? Here's What is Rumored for iPhone 18 Pro

Tuesday September 23, 2025 8:55 am PDT by
While the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are still a year away, there are already a few rumors about the devices that offer an early look ahead. Below, we have recapped some of the early iPhone 18 Pro rumors so far. This story was published previously, and it has been updated to reflect the latest rumors. Many early rumors prove to be true, but nothing is confirmed yet, and Apple's...
iOS 26

Apple Seeds First Betas of iOS 26.1, iPadOS 26.1, and macOS Tahoe 26.1

Monday September 22, 2025 10:05 am PDT by
Apple today provided developers with the first betas of upcoming iOS 26.1, iPadOS 26.1, macOS Tahoe 26.1, tvOS 26.1, watchOS 26.1, and visionOS 26.1 updates for testing purposes. The new betas are the first updates to the iOS, iPadOS, macOS 26, watchOS, tvOS, and visionOS releases that came out last week. The new betas can be downloaded from the Settings app on a compatible device by going...