iPhone 11 Night Mode: Everything To Know About New Camera Feature

Taking photos in dimly-lit settings using older smartphones have often resulted in dark and blurry images. Various smartphone makers such as Google, Huawei and Samsung tried to deal with this problem by releasing features allowing users to take photos in low-light settings, but while they seemed good, they’re not as good as the new Night Mode on the new iPhone 11 lineup.

What makes Apple’s new Night Mode feature so good? Professional travel photographer Austin Mann said Night Mode’s developers “didn’t take the let’s-make-night-look-like-day approach, as some of their competitors have” Instead, Night Mode does its best to capture sceneries the way they are intended to be captured: in a beautiful way.

How it works

MacRumors reported that Night Mode uses the wide-angle camera on the iPhone 11, and the wide-angle and telephoto cameras on the iPhone 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max. This is because the camera mode uses optical image stabilization as well as 100 percent focus pixels needed to analyze images.

Night Mode works by taking several images at different exposures over a set amount of time. The A13 chip inside the iPhone then analyzes all the images, checking for movement and clarity, and discarding images that are too blurry. The sharpest images that remain are then fused into one image that will make photographers like Mann say, “I can’t believe I shot this with my phone.”

How to use it

Night Mode is automatically activated the moment the iPhone detects low-light conditions. By tapping on the moon icon at the top of the Camera app, users will also be able to access Night Mode’s settings, allowing them to adjust the time interval needed to take photos.

It’s virtually impossible to turn Night Mode off permanently. Users who wish to turn the feature off will be able to do it on a per photo basis by tapping on the moon icon, then sliding the time interval slider all the way left to zero.

While Night Mode is able to analyze lighting conditions and recommend the necessary time interval for it to produce outstanding photos, it also allows users to adjust the time interval.

Users are also recommended to use tripods for shots with longer time intervals, if they have one. This is for the purposes of minimizing shakes and movement when taking pictures. Otherwise, users should do their best to keep their hands steady for as long the iPhone is still taking shots.