Tech

How To Turn Off Night Mode On Your iPhone Camera

Avoid blurry photos with a few simple steps.

How to turn off night mode on an iPhone camera
AzmanL/E+/Getty Images

When the iPhone 11 arrived on the scene in 2019 equipped with the “night mode” camera feature, many iPhone users rejoiced at this added convenience. Who hasn’t found themselves in the perfect photo op setting only to realize there isn’t enough light to capture anything on your phone camera? The night sky was no longer the limit for shooting. However, now that night mode has become the default on newer iPhone models, some might be wondering how to turn night mode off.

Though the feature offers plenty of perks, the fact that it is a default setting in darker environments can prove to be quite frustrating. After all, there’s nothing worse than getting the perfect shot at a concert, only to see a message pop up on your camera saying “Hold still,” and starting the long exposure countdown. Sure, night mode does a great job of lighting up darker still photos but when it comes to moving subjects, it can often result in blurry, over-exposed photos.

There’s a time and a palace to use night mode depending on what you hope to capture. If you want to turn off this default camera feature, here’s how.

How To Turn Off Night Mode On Your iPhone Camera

If you have your camera settings adjusted to Preserve Settings, then turning night mode on and off will be fairly simple. When you open the camera in a dark environment, just tap the night mode icon (which looks like a moon with lines across it). Then, drag the slider all the way to the left until it reads “Off.”

When you open your camera again, night mode will remain off unless you manually turn it back on. Note: If you have your settings adjusted to Preserve Settings, then night mode will remain on until you turn it off again. If your settings are not adjusted to Preserve Settings, then you will need to manually turn off night mode whenever you’re in a dark environment and want the feature disabled.

How To Check If “Preserve Settings” Is Turned On

Preserve Settings is a feature in your iPhone’s camera settings that allows you to preserve the last camera mode, creative controls, exposure adjustment, night mode, or live photo settings whenever you close and reopen the app. For instance, if you’re shooting in black and white and have Preserve Settings turned on for creative controls, the camera will remain in black and white when you reopen the app.

To check if Preserve Settings for night mode is turned on, open your Settings app (the gear icon on your home screen). Scroll down to Camera, then tap Preserve Settings from the list of Camera settings. You will see a toggle option for night mode. It will be disabled by default, but you can toggle it on to preserve your night mode settings if you want to.