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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LockedCameraCapture Does Not Launch The App from Lock Screen
My implementation of LockedCameraCapture does not launch my app when tapped from locked screen. But when the same widget is in the Control Center, it launches the app successfully. Standard Xcode target template: Lock_Screen_Capture.swift @main struct Lock_Screen_Capture: LockedCameraCaptureExtension { var body: some LockedCameraCaptureExtensionScene { LockedCameraCaptureUIScene { session in Lock_Screen_CaptureViewFinder(session: session) } } } Lock_Screen_CaptureViewFinder.swift: import SwiftUI import UIKit import UniformTypeIdentifiers import LockedCameraCapture struct Lock_Screen_CaptureViewFinder: UIViewControllerRepresentable { let session: LockedCameraCaptureSession var sourceType: UIImagePickerController.SourceType = .camera init(session: LockedCameraCaptureSession) { self.session = session } func makeUIViewController(context: Self.Context) -> UIImagePickerController { let imagePicker = UIImagePickerController() imagePicker.sourceType = sourceType imagePicker.mediaTypes = [UTType.image.identifier, UTType.movie.identifier] imagePicker.cameraDevice = .rear return imagePicker } func updateUIViewController(_ uiViewController: UIImagePickerController, context: Self.Context) { } } Then I have my widget: struct CameraWidgetControl: ControlWidget { var body: some ControlWidgetConfiguration { StaticControlConfiguration( kind: "com.myCompany.myAppName.lock-screen") { ControlWidgetButton(action: MyAppCaptureIntent()) { Label("Capture", systemImage: "camera.shutter.button.fill") } } } } My AppIntent: struct MyAppContext: Codable {} struct MyAppCaptureIntent: CameraCaptureIntent { typealias AppContext = MyAppContext static let title: LocalizedStringResource = "MyAppCaptureIntent" static let description = IntentDescription("Capture photos and videos with MyApp.") @MainActor func perform() async throws -> some IntentResult { .result() } } The Issue LockedCameraCapture Widget does not launch my app when tapped from locked screen. You get the Face ID prompt and takes you to just Home Screen. But when the same widget is in the Control Center, it launches the app successfully. Error Message When tapped on Lock Screen, I get the following error code: LaunchServices: store ‹private > or url ‹private > was nil: Error Domain=NSOSStatusErrorDomain Code=-54 "process may not map database" UserInfo=&NSDebugDescription=process may not map database, _LSLine=72, _LSFunction=_LSServer_GetServerStoreForConnectionWithCompletionHandler} Attempt to map database failed: permission was denied. This attempt will not be retried. Failed to initialize client context with error Error Domain=NSOSStatusErrorDomain Code=-54 "process may not map database" UserInfo=&NSDebugDescription=process may not map database, _LSLine=72, _LSFunction=_LSServer_GetServerStoreForConnectionWithCompletionHandler} Things I tried Widget image displays correctly App ID and the Provisioning Profile seem to be fine since they work fine when the same code injected in to AVCam sample app and when used the same App ID's. AppIntent file contains the target memberships of the Lock Screen capture and Widget Apple compiles without errors or warnings.
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211
Oct ’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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76
Oct ’25
Recording Constant Frame Rate at 4K 60 fps mode
Hi, We have created an app which allows recording 4K 60 fps videos in the app. We have noted that some time the recording switched to 20 fps (the value 20 is constant) even though the resolution settings is at 4K 60fps. We are using AVCaptureDevice to invoke the camera. has anyone experienced this problem before ? What is unique to 20 fps? Why does it resort to 20 fps from 60 fps and why not to other numbers ?
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187
Sep ’25
ICDeviceBrowser authorization requests always return ICAuthorizationStatusNotDetermined on iOS 26.1 beta
Area ImageCaptureCore / ICDeviceBrowser Description On iOS 26.1 beta, calling requestControlAuthorization() requestContentsAuthorization() always returns .notDetermined and never transitions to .authorized or .denied. This prevents apps from properly accessing device control or contents authorization. The issue occurs regardless of device state or prior requests. Steps to Reproduce 1. Create and start an ICDeviceBrowser instance. 2. Call requestControlAuthorization() or requestContentsAuthorization(). 3. Inspect the returned ICAuthorizationStatus. Expected Result • The system should prompt the user if necessary. • A final status of either .authorized or .denied should be returned. Actual Result • The completion handler always reports .notDetermined. • No user prompt appears and the status does not change. Version / Build • iOS 26.1 beta • Xcode Hardware • [iPhone 15 Pro, iPad Pro (M2)] Impact This regression blocks development and testing of features relying on ImageCaptureCore. Applications depending on device browsing and content access cannot proceed, which significantly affects workflows involving external device integration. Notes This appears to be a regression compared to earlier iOS releases.
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167
Sep ’25
PHFetchOptions.includeHiddenAssets does not correctly return asset by id
When attempting to access a PHAsset that is in the hidden folder of iOS26, the PHFetchResult always returns no items, even when the user has granted full access to photos and even when includeHiddenAssets is true. This is the code suggested by ChatGPT; it always fails: public func fetchAsset(withLocalIdentifier identifier: String) -> PSSPHAssetImplementing? { // First try the direct fetch by identifier (fast path) let directResult = PHAsset.fetchAssets(withLocalIdentifiers: [identifier], options: nil) if let asset = directResult.firstObject { return build(from: asset) } // Fallback: fetch all assets including hidden, then filter manually let options = PHFetchOptions() options.includeHiddenAssets = true let allAssets = PHAsset.fetchAssets(with: options) for index in 0..<allAssets.count { let asset = allAssets.object(at: index) if asset.localIdentifier == identifier { return build(from: asset) } } return nil } Is it no longer possible to retrieve a hidden photo in iOS 26?
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283
Sep ’25
Is there a resource available that lists all the AVCaptureDevices for each iPhone model?
I want to fully support the new iPhone models in my app, and ideally need to know the available lenses. However, I can't find information about this on the web and they're not reported in the simulators. The closest thing I found was this, but it's very out of date. https://developer.apple.com/library/archive/documentation/DeviceInformation/Reference/iOSDeviceCompatibility/Cameras/Cameras.html My only other option is to buy each device, which isn't really feasible, or to log the data from real users via an analytics tool which isn't ideal either. Thanks, Alex
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327
Sep ’25
Error capturing ProRAW using iPhone 17 Pro Telephoto with photoQualityPrioritization set to .Quality
Hey, I'm having a very strange issue on my iPhone 17 Pro. I'm trying to capture a 12MP ProRAW image using the Telephoto Lens with the photoQualityPrioritization set to .Quality. Unfortunately I receive this error when trying to capture the image: Error Domain=AVFoundationErrorDomain Code=-11800 "The operation could not be completed" UserInfo={NSUnderlyingError=0x134f7a1f0 {Error Domain=NSOSStatusErrorDomain Code=-16802 "(null)"}, NSLocalizedFailureReason=An unknown error occurred (-16802), AVErrorRecordingFailureDomainKey=4, NSLocalizedDescription=The operation could not be completed} The photo captures correctly at 7.9x zoom, it's only a problem when the zoom goes over 8x. Also, it's only this particular configuration of settings which causes the issue. I'm able to capture an image if I either: Set quality to ".balanced" Set max dimensions to 48MP Capture a JPEG image instead of a ProRAW image Use the TripleCamera fusion lens Any help would be greatly appreciated. Alex
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239
Sep ’25
Capturing 48mp photos with .builtInTripleCamera
I am able to capture 48mp photos using .builtInWideAngleCamera, but it seems like .builtInTripleCamera is capped at 12mp? Is there a way to capture 48mp photos using .builtInTripleCamera? Because .builtInTripleCamera provides smooth transition between cameras during zooming, and I'd like to keep this behavior. New iPhone 17 Pro have all their cameras at 48mp. Is there a chance that their .builtInTripleCamera is capable of capturing 48mp? Or is this an API limitation?
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373
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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83
Sep ’25
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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142
Sep ’25
Orientation does not work on iPhone 17 and above.
I'm receiving output from avcapturesession and capturing an image using Vision, but the image is output in landscape orientation instead of portrait. Even when I set the orientation to up in ciimage, cgimage, and uiimage, the image is still output in landscape orientation. On iPhones 16 and below, the image is output in portrait orientation. But on iPhones 17 and above, the image is output in landscape orientation. Please help.
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90
Sep ’25
iPhone 17 smart framing api not working
I tried to modify the AVCam sample code by copying the code here https://developer.apple.com/documentation/avfoundation/adopting-smart-framing-in-your-camera-app#Configure-the-smart-framing-monitor smart framing monitors I can ensure the activeformat supports smart framing, but the supported frames in monitor is always nil. In my another project it has supported value, but the observation has never been triggered, then I tried to keep printing the recommended frame, it's always nil. Could the engineer embed the code into AVCam rather than posting a few code pieces?
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139
Sep ’25
Unabe to use writeHEIFRepresentation - failed to add image to the PhotoCompressionSession.
I'm getting an error writing a ciImage as a heif image: // Create CIImage directly from pixel buffer let ciImage = CIImage(cvPixelBuffer: pixelBuffer, options: [CIImageOption.properties: combinedMetadata]) // Write HEIC synchronously do { try ciContext.writeHEIFRepresentation(of: ciImage, to: url, format: .RGBA8, colorSpace: colorSpace) The error I'm getting is: Error Domain=CINonLocalizedDescriptionKey Code=3 "(null)" UserInfo={CINonLocalizedDescriptionKey=failed to write HEIC data to file., NSUnderlyingError=0x11b1a1ec0 {Error Domain=CINonLocalizedDescriptionKey Code=10 "(null)" UserInfo={CINonLocalizedDescriptionKey=failed to add image to the PhotoCompressionSession.}}} Both try ciContext.writeJPEGRepresentation(of: copiedCIImage, to: url, colorSpace: colorSpace, options: options) and try ciContext.writePNGRepresentation(of: copiedCIImage, to: url, format: .RGBA8, colorSpace: colorSpace) work. I also verified that the code works with iOS 18. Is there something new we need to do for Heif images? Thanks in advance
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613
Sep ’25
Blurry Depth Data since iPhone 13
I tested the accuracy of the depth map on iPhone 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16, and found that the variance of the depth map after iPhone 12 is significantly greater than that of iPhone 12. Enabling depth filtering will cause the depth data to be affected by the previous frame, adding more unnecessary noise, especially when the phone is moving. This is not friendly for high-precision reconstruction. I tried to add depth map smoothing in post-processing to solve the problem of large depth map deviation, but the performance is still poor. Is there any depth map smoothing solutions already announced by Apple?
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63
Sep ’25
How can I create my own Genlock hardware for the iPhone 17 Pro?
What options do I have if I don't want to use Blackmagic's Camera ProDock as the external Sync Hardware, but instead I want to create my own USB-C hardware accessory which would show up as an AVExternalSyncDevice on the iPhone 17 Pro? Which protocol does my USB-C device have to implement to show up as an eligible clock device in AVExternalSyncDevice.DiscoverySession?
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832
Sep ’25
PHPickerFilter doesn't always apply in Collections tab when using PHPickerViewController
Hi everyone, I’m running into an issue with PHPickerFilter when using PHPickerViewController. When I configure the picker with a .videos and .livePhotos filter, it seems to work correctly in the Photos tab. However, when I switch to the Collections tab, the filter doesn’t always apply — users can still see and select static image assets in certain collections (e.g. from one of the People & Pets sections). Here’s a simplified snippet of my setup: var configuration = PHPickerConfiguration(photoLibrary: .shared()) configuration.selectionLimit = 1 var filters = [PHPickerFilter]() filters.append(.videos) filters.append(.livePhotos) configuration.filter = PHPickerFilter.any(of: filters) configuration.preferredAssetRepresentationMode = .current let picker = PHPickerViewController(configuration: configuration) picker.delegate = self present(picker, animated: true) Expected behavior: The picker should consistently respect the filter across both Photos and Collections tabs, only showing assets that match the filter. Actual behavior: The filter seems to apply correctly in the Photos tab, but in the Collections tab, other asset types are still visible/selectable. Has anyone else encountered this behavior? Is this expected or a known issue, or am I missing something in the configuration? Thanks in advance!
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345
Sep ’25
How to get a callback once a requested frameDuration change has been applied?
When changing a camera's exposure, AVFoundation provides a callback which offers the timestamp of the first frame captured with the new exposure duration: AVCaptureDevice.setExposureModeCustom(duration:, iso:, completionHandler:). I want to get a similar callback when changing frame duration. After setting AVCaptureDevice.activeVideoMinFrameDuration or AVCaptureDevice.activeVideoMinFrameDuration to a new value, how can I compute the index or the timestamp of the first camera frame which was captured using the newly set frame duration?
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503
Aug ’25
Raycasting VNFaceLandmarkRegion2D
Hello, Does anyone have a recipe on how to raycast VNFaceLandmarkRegion2D points obtained from a frame's capturedImage? More specifically, how to construct the "from" parameter of the frame's raycastQuery from a VNFaceLandmarkRegion2D point? Do the points need to be flipped vertically? Is there any other transformation that needs to be performed on the points prior to passing them to raycastQuery?
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285
Aug ’25