iOS 18 lets you replace Apple’s Camera app with a much better one – here’s how

iOS 18 has now arrived with a number of new software toys, but the biggest one for photographers might be its handy new customizable lock screen trick. Now you can change AppleAlong with the basic Camera app on the lock screen, there are also more powerful apps like Halide and Moment’s Pro Camera.

Halide Mk II and Pro Camera remain among the best best camera apps around thanks to pro-level features like manual focus and bracketing. Thanks to updates to both, you can now put them on your lock screen, effectively bypassing the stock Camera for the first time here.

To do this, you’ll need to update to both iOS 18 (go to Settings > General > Software Update) and the latest version of Halide Mk II (2.16) or Pro Camera (5.5). Now, long-press on your lock screen and tap on the ‘Customize’ button at the bottom of the screen. Tap on Lock screen on the left and you’ll see the option to change your lock screen shortcuts.

Tap the Camera icon in the bottom right to remove it, then tap the ‘+’ icon that takes its place. You’ll now be presented with a much longer list of possible options in the ‘Capture’ section, including the Halide and Moment apps.

To change the default Camera shortcut on your lock screen, long-press on your lock screen to open the Customize button (1), tap to reveal shortcuts (2), and find Halide or Moment in the new lock screen options (3) (Image source: Future / Apple)

Once you’ve added your chosen camera app, hit ‘done’. You’ll now be able to open Halide or Moment directly from the lock screen – and this time, without having to unlock your phone using Face ID or a passcode.

If you’re looking for a powerful camera app that you can launch in milliseconds, this could be a worthwhile upgrade. The only downside is that Halide II requires a £19.99 / £19.99 / AU$29.99 annual subscription or $2.99 / £2.49 / AU$4.49 monthly subscription. There are also one-off purchase options for $59.99 / £59.99 / AU$99.99. Moment’s app costs $8.99 / £8.99 / AU$14.99, but includes more in-app purchases for other features.

Happy days

Apple released the Final Cut Camera app (above) for videographers earlier this year, but took a simpler approach for still shooters (Image source: Apple / Future)

There have long been calls for Apple to make a Pro version of the stock Camera app, and recently Final Cut CameraFeaturing professional video controls, he suggested that this might just be in the plans.

Instead, it seems Apple is content to make the stock Camera app geared towards casual shooters and let third-party apps like Halide and Moment fill the void for more hardcore shooters; they even now allow these to be streamed to the lock screen.

These two aren’t the only impressive third-party camera apps for iPhone; Obscura, Lightroom, and ProCam are also popular options for different reasons.

But Halide and Moment are among the few companies that have released app updates that take advantage of this particular iOS 18 feature, allowing you to put them front and center on your lock screen at the expense of the stock Camera app. This can be a really handy little tweak if you need to quickly grab a shot using focus peaking, a histogram, or more.