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...
Apple Event Logo

Apple's Next Era Begins September 1

Thursday May 7, 2026 10:36 am PDT by
Apple recently announced that Tim Cook will be stepping down as CEO later this year, after 15 years of leading the company. Effective September 1, Apple's hardware engineering chief John Ternus will become the company's next CEO, while Cook will become executive chairman of Apple's board of directors. In his new role, Apple said Cook will assist with "certain aspects" of the company,...
Instagram Feature 2

PSA: Instagram Encrypted Messaging Ends on Friday, May 8

Tuesday May 5, 2026 8:24 am PDT by
Instagram will remove end-to-end encryption for direct messages between users from May 8, 2026. When the date comes around, Meta will potentially be able to see the contents of all messages between users on the social media platform. Encrypting messages has been an optional feature in Instagram since 2023, but in March of this year the social media platform quietly updated a help page to say ...