Photos & Camera

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Explore technical aspects of capturing high-quality photos and videos, including exposure control, focus modes, and RAW capture options.

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How to use Front UW and TrueDepth in iPad
I want to use both front UW and TrueDepth cameras in iPad which has front UW camera. Firstly, I have used only front builtInDualCamera by AVFoundation and tried all the formats that can be used with builtInDualCamera, but there was no format that could capture UW. Secondly, I have tried to both front builtInDualCamera and builtInUltraWideCamera, but there was no combination that could use builtInUltraWideCamera and builtInDualCamera. Is there any way ?
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150
Sep ’25
Error saving image to Camera Roll on iPhone 17 Pro
I'm experiencing an issue with my app when saving images to the camera roll. This is intermittent, but it happens several times a day. The error I receive is the following: Connection to assetsd was interrupted - assetsd exited, died, or closed the photo library Error getting remote object proxy for -[PLNonBindingAssetsdPhotoKitClient sendChangesRequest:reply:]_block_invoke: Error Domain=NSCocoaErrorDomain Code=4097 "connection to service named com.apple.photos.service" UserInfo={NSDebugDescription=connection to service named com.apple.photos.service} PhotoKit XPC proxy is invalid. Dropping request on the floor and returning an error: Error Domain=PHPhotosErrorDomain Code=3301 "(null)" (underlying error Error Domain=NSCocoaErrorDomain Code=4097 "connection to service named com.apple.photos.service" UserInfo={NSDebugDescription=connection to service named com.apple.photos.service}) CoreData: error: XPC: synchronousRemoteObjectProxyWithErrorHandler: store 'file:///var/mobile/Media/PhotoData/Photos.sqlite' encountered error: Error Domain=NSCocoaErrorDomain Code=4099 "The connection to service created from an endpoint was invalidated: failed to check-in, peer may have been unloaded: mach_error=10000003." UserInfo={NSDebugDescription=The connection to service created from an endpoint was invalidated: failed to check-in, peer may have been unloaded: mach_error=10000003.} CoreData: error: XPC: synchronousRemoteObjectProxyWithErrorHandler: store 'file:///var/mobile/Media/PhotoData/Photos.sqlite' encountered error: Error Domain=NSCocoaErrorDomain Code=4099 "The connection to service created from an endpoint was invalidated: failed to check-in, peer may have been unloaded: mach_error=10000003." UserInfo={NSDebugDescription=The connection to service created from an endpoint was invalidated: failed to check-in, peer may have been unloaded: mach_error=10000003.} My code is unchanged from using my app daily on an iPhone 16 Pro with iOS 26. I never saw the issue on this device. Here is an excerpt from my code for saving the image: var localIdentifier = String() PHPhotoLibrary.shared().performChanges({ let albumChangeRequest = PHAssetCollectionChangeRequest(for: album) let assetCreationRequest = PHAssetCreationRequest.forAsset() let options = PHAssetResourceCreationOptions() assetCreationRequest.addResource(with: .photo, data: imageData, options: options) assetCreationRequest.creationDate = Date.now let placeHolder = assetCreationRequest.placeholderForCreatedAsset albumChangeRequest?.addAssets([placeHolder!] as NSArray) if placeHolder != nil { localIdentifier = (placeHolder?.localIdentifier)! } }) { (didSucceed, error) in OperationQueue.main.addOperation({ didSucceed ? success(localIdentifier) : failure(error) }) } I'm not sure why this would be device specific but I have had users with iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone Air reporting the issue. Alex
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94
Sep ’25
Clean up render files saved to PHContentEditingOutput.renderedContentURL
I discovered when editing photos with the PhotoKit API, PHContentEditingOutput's renderedContentURL is a file in the app container's tmp directory with a filename that seems to follow the format render.<uuid>.JPG, and that file does not get deleted if the edit does not complete successfully (the user cancels the edit request, an error occurs, the app crashes, etc). I understand the system is supposed to automatically delete tmp files every once in a while, but some users are noticing my app's Documents & Data inflates, so I'm considering deleting these render files each time the app is launched. But I don't want to delete everything in the tmp directory as there could possibly be other data in there. What's the best way to remove those temporary files? Does the filename always start with render. no matter the device language? I thought I'd delete files in NSTemporaryDirectory() with that prefix but then I discovered in Mac Catalyst the location is not the tmp directory directly, they're in tmp/TemporaryItems/<bundleid>. Thanks!
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85
Oct ’25
iOS 26 AVCaptureDevice continuousAutoFocus not working
Device: iPhone 16 Pro Max OS: iOS 26.0.1 AVCaptureDevice.DeviceType: builtInUltraWideCamera avtiveFormat: <AVCaptureDeviceFormat: 0x10ffb9ac0 'vide'/'420v' 1440x1080, { 1- 60 fps}, photo dims:{1440x1080,2016x1512}, fov:101.022, gdc fov:103.625, binned, max zoom:94.50 (upscales @1.40), system zoom range:1.0-3.0, AF System:1, ISO:15.0-3600.0, SS:0.000023-1.000000, system exposure bias range:-2.0-2.0, supports multicam, supports CS RoI, supports Smart Style, supports Smudge Detection> API: device.isFocusModeSupported(.continuousAutoFocus) == true setting: device.focusMode = .continuousAutoFocus setting is ok, but it's not working actually with continuousAutoFocus
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72
Oct ’25
New API to control front camera orientation like native Camera app on iPhone 17 with iOS 26?
The iPhone 17’s front camera with the new 18MP square sensor and iOS 26’s Center Stage feature can auto-rotate between portrait and landscape like the native iOS Camera app. Is there a Swift or AVFoundation API that allows developers to manually control front camera orientation in the same way the native Camera app does? Or is this auto-rotation strictly handled by the system without public API access?
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188
Oct ’25
Uploading PhotoKit Resources in the Background
The introduction of PHBackgroundResourceUploadExtension is a welcome addition in iOS 26.1. I wonder however, how to attach a debugger and actually get the system to call the process() method of the extension. I tried to run the extension both inside photos app (and also the main app for testing), but when I take a photo or add photos to the library (saving), the process() method does never get called. Any hints would be appreciated to debug the PHBackgroundResourceUploadExtension during development.
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153
Nov ’25
PhotoKit Background Upload Extension not working on iOS 26.2 iPhone 17 Simulator
Hi, I’m trying to implement the new PhotoKit PHBackgroundResourceUploadExtension. I created the extension, enabled full photo library access in the host app, and registered the extension point using the string: com.apple.photos.background-upload. However, when I attempted to enable the extension with: try library.setUploadJobExtensionEnabled(true) I received the following error: Error Domain=PHPhotosErrorDomain Code=-1 "(null)" This happens when running the app on Xcode 26.1 and 26.2 Beta, using the iPhone 17 Pro Max simulator (iOS 26.1 and 26.2). My question is: Is this extension supported on the simulator? I’m asking because at the moment it’s difficult for me to test this on a physical device. Also, What's the meaning of the error? Thanks.
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257
4w
AVCaptureVideoPreviewLayer layoutSublayers invoked on background thread
Opening this question after discussing the issue in the AVCapture lab, hopefully so we can track down this issue. We've been noticing some crashes in App Store Connect caused by layoutSublayers being called on a background thread. After debugging the issue a bit we found that all calls which modified the AVCaptureSession or preview layer were indeed done on the main thread. It would be useful to see what results in AVCaptureVideoPreviewLayer.updateFormatDescription being called. I've attached the crashlog below. Crash log.ips - https://developer.apple.com/forums/content/attachment/800b0dba-3477-4c5a-b56c-f4cc393b384f
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746
Jun ’25
IPadOS 17 external camera exposure
I'm developing iPad app that will be mostly dedicated for certain external camera for visually impaired people. The linux UVC api (e.g. using guvcview) allows to enable automatic exposure for the camera. IOs api "isExposureModeSupported" unfortunately returns false for any of the exposure modes. Is it a bug? Or perhaps AVFoundation doesn't support UVC exposure yet?
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614
Jul ’25
Generating Live Photo from JPG and MOV fails
I am working on an iOS application using SwiftUI where I want to convert a JPG and a MOV file to a live photo. I am utilizing the LivePhoto Class from Github for this. The JPG and MOV files are displayed correctly in my WallpaperDetailView, but I am facing issues when trying to download the live photo to the gallery and generate the Live Photo. Here is the relevant code and the errors I am encountering: Console prints: Play button should be visible Image URL fetched and set: Optional("https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/...") Video is ready to play Video downloaded to: file:///var/mobile/Containers/Data/Application/.../tmp/CFNetworkDownload_7rW5ny.tmp Failed to generate Live Photo I have verified that the app has the necessary permissions to access the Photo Library. The JPEG and MOV files are successfully downloaded and can be displayed in the app. The issue seems to occur when generating the Live Photo from the downloaded files. struct WallpaperDetailView: View { var wallpaper: Wallpaper @State private var isLoading = false @State private var isImageSaved = false @State private var imageURL: URL? @State private var livePhotoVideoURL: URL? @State private var player: AVPlayer? @State private var playerViewController: AVPlayerViewController? @State private var isVideoReady = false @State private var showBuffering = false var body: some View { ZStack { if let imageURL = imageURL { GeometryReader { geometry in KFImage(imageURL) .resizable() ... } } if let playerViewController = playerViewController { VideoPlayerViewController(playerViewController: playerViewController) .frame(maxWidth: .infinity, maxHeight: .infinity) .clipped() .edgesIgnoringSafeArea(.all) } } .onAppear { PHPhotoLibrary.requestAuthorization { status in if status == .authorized { loadImage() } else { print("User denied access to photo library") } } } private func loadImage() { isLoading = true if let imageURLString = wallpaper.imageURL, let imageURL = URL(string: imageURLString) { self.imageURL = imageURL if imageURL.scheme == "file" { self.isLoading = false print("Local image URL set: \(imageURL)") } else { fetchDownloadURL(from: imageURLString) { url in self.imageURL = url self.isLoading = false print("Image URL fetched and set: \(String(describing: url))") } } } if let livePhotoVideoURLString = wallpaper.livePhotoVideoURL, let livePhotoVideoURL = URL(string: livePhotoVideoURLString) { self.livePhotoVideoURL = livePhotoVideoURL preloadAndPlayVideo(from: livePhotoVideoURL) } else { self.isLoading = false print("No valid image or video URL") } } private func preloadAndPlayVideo(from url: URL) { self.player = AVPlayer(url: url) let playerViewController = AVPlayerViewController() playerViewController.player = self.player self.playerViewController = playerViewController let playerItem = AVPlayerItem(url: url) playerItem.preferredForwardBufferDuration = 1.0 self.player?.replaceCurrentItem(with: playerItem) ... print("Live Photo Video URL set: \(url)") } private func saveWallpaperToPhotos() { if let imageURL = imageURL, let livePhotoVideoURL = livePhotoVideoURL { saveLivePhotoToPhotos(imageURL: imageURL, videoURL: livePhotoVideoURL) } else if let imageURL = imageURL { saveImageToPhotos(url: imageURL) } } private func saveImageToPhotos(url: URL) { ... } private func saveLivePhotoToPhotos(imageURL: URL, videoURL: URL) { isLoading = true downloadVideo(from: videoURL) { localVideoURL in guard let localVideoURL = localVideoURL else { print("Failed to download video for Live Photo") DispatchQueue.main.async { self.isLoading = false } return } print("Video downloaded to: \(localVideoURL)") self.generateAndSaveLivePhoto(imageURL: imageURL, videoURL: localVideoURL) } } private func generateAndSaveLivePhoto(imageURL: URL, videoURL: URL) { LivePhoto.generate(from: imageURL, videoURL: videoURL, progress: { percent in print("Progress: \(percent)") }, completion: { livePhoto, resources in guard let resources = resources else { print("Failed to generate Live Photo") DispatchQueue.main.async { self.isLoading = false } return } print("Live Photo generated with resources: \(resources)") self.saveLivePhotoToLibrary(resources: resources) }) } private func saveLivePhotoToLibrary(resources: LivePhoto.LivePhotoResources) { LivePhoto.saveToLibrary(resources) { success in DispatchQueue.main.async { if success { self.isImageSaved = true print("Live Photo saved successfully") } else { print("Failed to save Live Photo") } self.isLoading = false } } } private func fetchDownloadURL(from gsURL: String, completion: @escaping (URL?) -> Void) { let storageRef = Storage.storage().reference(forURL: gsURL) storageRef.downloadURL { url, error in if let error = error { print("Failed to fetch image URL: \(error)") completion(nil) } else { completion(url) } } } private func downloadVideo(from url: URL, completion: @escaping (URL?) -> Void) { let task = URLSession.shared.downloadTask(with: url) { localURL, response, error in guard let localURL = localURL, error == nil else { print("Failed to download video: \(String(describing: error))") completion(nil) return } completion(localURL) } task.resume() } }```
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802
Mar ’25
PHLivePhotoEditingContext.saveLivePhoto results in AVFoundation error -11800 "The operation could not be completed" reason An unknown error occurred (-12815)
When trying to edit some Live Photos, calling PHLivePhotoEditingContext.saveLivePhoto results in the following error: Error Domain=AVFoundationErrorDomain Code=-11800 "The operation could not be completed" UserInfo={NSLocalizedFailureReason=An unknown error occurred (-12815), NSLocalizedDescription=The operation could not be completed, NSUnderlyingError=0x300d05380 {Error Domain=NSOSStatusErrorDomain Code=-12815 "(null)"}} I was able to replicate it on my device by taking a new Live Photo. Not sure what's wrong with that one specifically, not all Live Photos replicate the issue. I've submitted FB15880825 with a sysdiagnose and a Photos Diagnostics as well. Any ideas what's going on here? It's impacting multiple customers. Thanks!
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581
Jun ’25
Can you add pictures with the camera using the new photos picker instead of the old UI View Controller?
I'm a new app developer and am trying to add a button that adds pictures from the photo library AND camera. I added the first function (adding pictures from the photo library) using the new-ish photoPicker, but I can't find a way to do the same thing for the camera. Should I just tough it out and use the UI View Controller struct that I've seen in all of the YouTube tutorials I've come across? I also want the user to be able to crop the picture in the app after they take a picture. Thanks in advance
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630
Dec ’24
photo album widget won’t work
for a while i had one photo widget (no special app, just the standard apple one) and it was set to shuffle to an album of pics of my bf. no problems at all. a few weeks later i added one to shuffle through an album of pics of my cat, and that one worked fine, but it made the one of my bf stop working, and it just showed a blank white widget, no error message or anything. so i removed the one of my cat hoping the one of my bf would go back to working, and it didn’t. i only have the widgets for find my, my bank, and then apps on my home screen otherwise.
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656
Dec ’24
Compatibility Issue Between 360 Cameras and iPad Pro M4
Hello everyone, I need some help about this things. If you also know, pls comment. Overview We are planning to develop an app using the “Support external cameras in your iPadOS app” feature introduced in iPadOS 17. Before implementing this feature, it is necessary for the iPad to recognize external cameras. However, among the iPad models compatible with iPadOS 17, we have found that some of the iPads owned by our development team can recognize external cameras, while others cannot. If you have any reports regarding compatibility issues or information on how to resolve these problems, please share them with us. Detailed Explanation: The results of our investigation are as follows: External Camera Used: A 360-degree camera Devices Firmware RICOH Theta X 2.61.0(2024/12/26Latest) RICOH Theta Z1 Tested iPad Devices Firmware Status 12.9インチiPad Pro(第3世代) IOS 17.5.1 OK 11インチiPad Pro(M4) IOS 18.2 NG Verification Method Step 1: Power on the iPad and the external camera, ensuring both are ready for connection. Step 2: Connect the iPad and the external camera using a USB-C cable. Step 3: Launch FaceTime on the iPad and check the displayed camera feed. If the external camera is recognized, the feed from the external camera will be displayed.
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513
Jan ’25
Is there a way to filter PHPickerViewController by the creation date of the assets?
Our app filters the photo library to a certain date range for ease of picking photos. However, to do this, we have to require full permissions to the photo library. We would like to use the PHPickerViewController and have it filter the results by the assets creation date? This would allow us to use it. I see other filter options, but not this one. And if it isn't there, is this something that is being thought about or on a roadmap?
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563
Jan ’25
App crashes when opening camera from file input in WKWebView (iOS)
Hello everyone, I have a SwiftUI app using WKWebView to load a website that includes a form with a file input (). The issue is: 📌 When a user taps “Browse” and selects “Take Photo” (camera option), the app crashes before the camera opens. Setup Details: • App Uses SwiftUI with WKWebView • The crash occurs only when selecting “Take Photo”, but selecting an image from the library works fine. 📌 Full Code (WKWebView in SwiftUI) import SwiftUI import WebKit struct WebViewRepresentable: UIViewRepresentable { var urlString: String func makeUIView(context: Context) -> WKWebView { let webView = WKWebView() webView.configuration.allowsInlineMediaPlayback = true webView.configuration.mediaTypesRequiringUserActionForPlayback = [] loadURL(in: webView) return webView } func updateUIView(_ uiView: WKWebView, context: Context) { loadURL(in: uiView) } private func loadURL(in webView: WKWebView) { if let url = URL(string: urlString) { webView.load(URLRequest(url: url)) } } } struct ContentView: View { @State private var currentURL: String = "https://fv-wohlensee.ch" var body: some View { VStack(spacing: 0) { // Oberer Bereich in Grün Color(red: 0, green: 0.4, blue: 0) .frame(height: 50) // WebView with white background WebViewRepresentable(urlString: currentURL) .background(Color.white) Divider() // Navigation buttons HStack(spacing: 10) { Button { currentURL = "https://fv-wohlensee.ch/vereinshaus-eymatt/" } label: { VStack { Image(systemName: "house") .font(.system(size: 18)) Text("Klubhaus") .font(.system(size: 12)) .minimumScaleFactor(0.7) .lineLimit(1) } .padding(8) } .foregroundColor(.white) .frame(maxWidth: .infinity) Button { currentURL = "https://fv-wohlensee.ch/vereinsboot/" } label: { VStack { Image(systemName: "ferry.fill") .font(.system(size: 18)) Text("Boot") .font(.system(size: 12)) .minimumScaleFactor(0.7) .lineLimit(1) } .padding(8) } .foregroundColor(.white) .frame(maxWidth: .infinity) Button { currentURL = "https://fv-wohlensee.ch/aktivitaeten/" } label: { VStack { Image(systemName: "calendar") .font(.system(size: 18)) Text("Aktivitäten") .font(.system(size: 12)) .minimumScaleFactor(0.7) .lineLimit(1) } .padding(8) } .foregroundColor(.white) .frame(maxWidth: .infinity) Button { currentURL = "https://fv-wohlensee.ch/mitglied-werden/" } label: { VStack { Image(systemName: "person.badge.plus") .font(.system(size: 18)) Text("Mitglied") .font(.system(size: 12)) .minimumScaleFactor(0.7) .lineLimit(1) } .padding(8) } .foregroundColor(.white) .frame(maxWidth: .infinity) } .padding(.horizontal, 15) .padding(.vertical, 10) .background(Color(red: 0, green: 0.4, blue: 0)) } .frame(maxWidth: .infinity, maxHeight: .infinity) .background(Color(red: 0, green: 0.4, blue: 0)) .ignoresSafeArea() } } struct ContentView_Previews: PreviewProvider { static var previews: some View { ContentView() } } What I’ve Tried: 1️⃣ Checked Info.plist: Added permissions for camera and photo library: <key>NSCameraUsageDescription</key> <string>This app requires access to the camera to upload photos.</string> <key>NSPhotoLibraryUsageDescription</key> <string>This app requires access to your photo library.</string> 2️⃣ Enabled Media Capture in WKWebView: webView.configuration.allowsInlineMediaPlayback = true webView.configuration.mediaTypesRequiringUserActionForPlayback = [] 3️⃣ Tested in Safari: The same form works fine when opened in Safari. Questions: ❓ Does WKWebView need additional permissions to open the camera? ❓ Do I need to implement a delegate to handle file uploads in SwiftUI? ❓ Has anyone faced this issue and found a fix? Any guidance would be greatly appreciated! 🚀 Thanks in advance! 😊
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467
Jan ’25
PIP Camera in iOS App
I am developing an iOS app with video call functionality and implementing Picture in Picture (PiP) mode for video calls. The issue I am facing is that the camera stops capturing video when the app goes to the background, even though the PiP view is still visible. I have noticed that some apps, like Telegram, manage to keep the camera working in PiP mode while the app is in the background. How can I achieve this in my app?
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588
Jan ’25
LockedCameraCapture with ARKit based App
Hello, I'm building a camera app around ARKit. I've created a Lockscreen Capture Extension and added a control to initiate my camera app, but when I launch the extension I see just a black screen with no hints at any errors. Also attaching the debugger to the running process shows no logs. Im wondering: Is LockedCameraCapture supported with ARView and ARSession? ARKit was featured in a WWDC video with a camera app use-case, also the introduction of captureHighResolutionFrame(completion:) made me pick it up as an interesting camera app backbone - but if lockscreen capture is not possible with it I have to refactor my codebase.
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508
Jan ’25