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How to use AirPods with supported camera apps on iPhone or iPad

by Moses Johnson

Your AirPods can double as a camera remote. With AirPods 4, AirPods 5, AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3, or AirPods Max 2, you can take a photo or start recording a video in supported camera apps on your iPhone or iPad.

They can also work as a microphone, like a lapel mic, when you record. First, though, you need to set up your AirPods as a camera remote on your iPhone or iPad.

Here’s how to take photos and record video with your AirPods, and how to use them as a microphone.

Note: Using AirPods as a camera remote or camera microphone is available in supported camera apps on devices with iOS 26, iPadOS 26, or later. Some features are not available in all countries or regions, and availability may vary due to local laws and regulations.

Before you begin

Make sure your AirPods are set up as a camera remote.

  1. Wear your AirPods, and make sure they’re connected to your iPhone or iPad.
  2. Open the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
  3. Tap the name of your AirPods near the top of the screen.
  4. Tap Camera Remote (if you don’t see that option, first tap Controls & Gestures) and tap either Press Once or Press and Hold.

    Note: If you select Press Once, media control gestures are temporarily unavailable while you use a supported camera app. If you select Press and Hold, listening modes and Siri gestures are temporarily unavailable while you use a supported camera app.

Use your AirPods to take photos and record video

  1. Wear your AirPods, and make sure they’re connected to your iPhone or iPad.
  2. Open the Camera app (or another supported camera app) on your iPhone or iPad.
  3. Do one of the following:

    • Take a photo: Press or press and hold (depending on your settings) the stem on your AirPods or the Digital Crown on your AirPods Max 2.

      Note: In some countries or regions, the 3-second timer and feedback tone in Photo mode in the Camera app isn’t available. You won’t hear a feedback tone when the ringer is turned off or when Live Photos is turned on.

    • Take a video: Select Video mode in the Camera app. Then press or press and hold (depending on your settings) the stem on your AirPods or the Digital Crown on your AirPods Max 2. To stop recording video, press the stem or Digital Crown again.

Use your AirPods as a microphone in camera apps

With supported camera apps, your AirPods can work as a microphone, like a lapel mic.

Note: Using AirPods as a camera microphone isn’t available in all countries or regions, including the EU.

  1. Wear your AirPods, and make sure they’re connected to your iPhone or iPad.
  2. Open the Camera app (or another supported camera app) on your iPhone or iPad.
  3. Select Video mode in the Camera app.
  4. Open Control Center, tap Camera Controls, and do any of the following:

    • Input: Tap the name of your AirPods.

      Note: You might also be able to select Same as System.

    • Mic mode: Tap Automatic, Standard, Voice Isolation, or Wide Spectrum.
  5. Swipe up from the bottom of the screen to go back to the Camera app.
  6. Press or press and hold (depending on your settings) the stem on your AirPods or the Digital Crown on your AirPods Max 2 to start recording.

You can also select your AirPods as a microphone in Settings. Go to the Settings app, tap Sounds & Haptics, tap Input, then select your AirPods.

If you’ve got AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3, AirPods 4, or AirPods 5, you can choose which one of your AirPods to use as a microphone. Read our guide, Set the microphone location for your AirPods or AirPods Pro, to learn how.

See also

Tag: camera
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How to scan documents with your iPad camera

by Tyler Stephen

On supported iPad models, Camera can automatically detect and scan documents within the camera frame. After you scan a document, you can save it in the Files app, open it in the Preview app, or share it using AirDrop or an app like Mail or Messages.

You can scan additional pages, too, and edit or delete the scans. iPad automatically captures the page, or you can capture the scan yourself instead, and on supported models, the flash can remove shadows and enhance colors. You can also search the scan.

  1. Open Camera on your iPad.

    Make sure Camera is in Photo mode.

  2. Position iPad so the document appears on the screen and tap Scan Document; iPad automatically captures the page.

    To capture the scan yourself instead of automatically, tap Manual, then tap the Shutter button.

    Tip: On supported models, turn on the flash to remove shadows and enhance colors.

  3. Repeat the steps above to scan additional pages.
  4. Tap the thumbnails at the bottom of the screen to edit or delete the scans. Then tap the Back button.
  5. Tap the Done button when you’re done scanning. Then choose one of the following:

    • Save the scan in the Files app: Tap Done, tap Save to Files, and then tap Save.
    • Open the scan in the Preview app: Tap Preview.
    • Search the scan: Tap the Search button.
    • Share the scan using AirDrop, Mail, Messages, or another app: Tap the Share button, then tap a share method.
    • Delete the scan: Tap Done, then tap Delete.

See also

Tags: camera, Files
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How to change advanced camera settings on your iPad

by Moses Johnson

You can manually adjust the focus and exposure, adjust the volume of the shutter sound, and change other settings on your iPad camera.

Before you take a photo, the camera automatically sets the focus and exposure, and face detection then balances the exposure across many faces. You can lock your own settings with AE/AF Lock, and a grid can help you straighten and compose your shot.

Here’s how to change advanced camera settings on your iPad.

Adjust the focus and exposure

Before you take a photo, the iPad camera automatically sets the focus and exposure, and face detection balances the exposure across many faces. To manually adjust the focus and exposure, follow these steps:

  1. Open Camera on your iPad.
  2. Tap the screen to show the automatic focus area and exposure setting (in yellow).
  3. Tap where you want to move the focus area.
  4. Next to the focus area, drag the Adjust Exposure button up or down to adjust the exposure.

    To lock your manual focus and exposure settings for upcoming shots, touch and hold the focus area until you see AE/AF Lock; tap the screen to unlock settings.

Use a grid to straighten your shot

To display a grid on the camera screen that can help you straighten and compose your shot, go to Settings > Camera, then turn on Grid.

The editing tools in the Photos app let you further align shots and adjust horizontal and vertical perspective after you take a photo. See our article, Straighten or tilt a photo or video, for details.

Save camera settings

  1. Open Settings, tap Camera, and then tap Preserve Settings.
  2. Turn on any of the following:

Adjust the shutter volume

  1. Open Camera on your iPad.
  2. Open Control Center and drag the volume slider up or down to change the shutter volume.
  3. Tap the screen outside of Control Center to go back to Camera.

    Note: The shutter doesn’t make a sound if Live Photos is turned on.

    Note: In some countries and regions, you can’t mute the shutter sound.

Turn Scene Detection off and on

Scene Detection, on supported models, can recognize what you’re photographing and apply a tailored look that brings out the best qualities in the scene.

Scene Detection is on by default. To turn off Scene Detection, go to Settings > Camera, then turn off Scene Detection.

Turn Lens Correction off and on

For more natural-looking results, the Lens Correction setting on supported models adjusts photos you take with the front camera or Ultra Wide camera.

Lens Correction is on by default. To turn off Lens Correction, go to Settings > Camera, then turn off Lens Correction.

Stop saving photos taken in Messages

Photos you take in the Messages app are automatically saved to your library in the Photos app.

To turn this feature off, go to Settings > Camera, then turn off Save Captures to Photo Library.

Tags: camera, Settings
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How to delete, share, or copy a photo in Photo Booth on iPad

by Emily Long

You can delete, copy, and share the photos you take in the Photo Booth app. You can also choose Copy Photo to paste a photo into another document, or Add to Shared Album to put it in a shared album in the Photos app.

Delete a photo in Photo Booth

  1. Tap a photo thumbnail at the bottom of the screen.
  2. Tap the Delete button, then tap Delete Photo.

Share or copy a photo in Photo Booth

  1. Tap a photo thumbnail at the bottom of the screen.
  2. Tap the Share button and choose a share option.

    You can also choose Copy Photo to paste the photo into another document or Add to Shared Album to add the photo to a shared album in the Photos app, see Create shared albums in Photos.

See also

Tags: camera, Photos
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How to take photos in Photo Booth on iPad

by Moses Johnson

Use the Photo Booth app to take selfies and photos with fun effects. Photo Booth uses the front camera to show your subject in multiple tiles, each with a different effect, like Kaleidoscope, Stretch, and X-Ray, and the tile in the center shows Normal view. You’ll hear a shutter sound when you take a photo, too.

Take a Photo Booth photo

Using the front camera, Photo Booth shows the subject on the iPad screen in multiple tiles, each with a different effect, such as Kaleidoscope, Stretch, X-Ray, and more. Normal view appears in the tile in the center of the screen.

  1. Aim iPad at your subject to frame your shot.
  2. Tap the tile of the effect you want to capture and then do any of the following:

    • Switch between the front and rear-facing cameras: Tap the Camera Chooser button at the bottom of the screen.
    • Change the effect: Tap the Filters button at the bottom left of the screen.

      With some effects, you can drag your finger across the screen, or pinch, swipe, or rotate the image to alter the appearance.

  3. Tap the shutter button to take the shot.

iPad makes a shutter sound when you take a photo, and the volume buttons control how loud it is. Read our article, Adjust the volume.

Note: In some regions, sound effects are played even if your iPad is set to silent.

See also

Tag: camera
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How to scan text and documents in Notes using the iPad camera

by Dave Johnson

In the Notes app, you can use the camera to scan text and documents.

In supported languages, you can insert scanned text right into a note. When you scan a document, iPad can capture it automatically once it detects the page boundaries, or you can capture it yourself. Either way, it’s saved as a PDF right in the note.

Here’s how to scan text and documents in Notes using the iPad camera.

A screen showing a document being scanned. The Take Picture button is on the right.

Scan text into a note

The camera lets you insert scanned text in supported languages.

  1. Open the Notes app on your iPad.
  2. In a note, tap the Attachments button. Then tap Scan Text.
  3. Position your iPad so that the text appears within the camera frame.
  4. Drag or use grab points to select text and tap Insert.

Scan a document into a note

  1. Open the Notes app on your iPad.
  2. In a note, tap the Attachments button and tap Scan Documents.
  3. Position your iPad so that the document page appears on the screen, adjust any settings such as Flash (on supported models) or Filters. Do one of the following:

    • Automatic capture: Keep your iPad steady. Your iPad automatically captures the document when it detects the page boundaries. To make adjustments, tap the thumbnail, tap an option such as Adjust, make your changes, and then tap the Back button.
    • Manual capture: Tap Manual and tap the Take Picture button. Adjust the corners as needed and tap Retake or Keep.
  4. Scan additional pages, then tap the Done button when you’re done.

    The document is saved as a PDF in the note.

See also

Tags: camera, Notes
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How to take a selfie with your iPad camera

by Stacey Butler

Use your iPad camera to take a photo of yourself (a selfie). You can take selfies in Photo mode, Portrait mode, Video mode, or Square mode.

You can also take a mirrored selfie, so the shot looks the way you see it in the camera frame. The flash can be on or off, and depending on your iPad model, you can zoom out to increase your field of view. You can even take a Portrait mode selfie and edit Portrait mode photos.

Take a selfie

  1. Open Camera on your iPad.
  2. Tap the Camera Chooser Back-Facing button and then hold your iPad in front of you.
  3. Tap the Shutter button or press either volume button to take the shot.

Mirror the front camera

To take a mirrored selfie that captures the shot as you see it in the camera frame, go to Settings > Camera, then turn on Mirror Front Camera.

To turn the flash on or off, tap the Flash button, then choose Auto, On, or Off.

Quick tip: To zoom out and get a wider field of view, tap the Zoomed In button at the left side of the screen (depending on your iPad model), and tap the Zoomed Out button to zoom back in.

See also

Tag: camera
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How to take a Portrait mode selfie with your iPad camera

by Stacey Butler

Take Portrait mode selfies with the front-facing camera on supported iPad models. This feature keeps your face sharp while beautifully blurring the background and foreground. On some iPad models, you can also apply Portrait Lighting effects and adjust the amount of background blur.

Portrait Lighting effects include Natural Light, Studio Light, Contour Light, Stage Light, and Stage Light Mono. On models that support Depth Control, you can adjust the level of background blur, and you can adjust it further in the Photos app after you take the photo.

Take a portrait

  1. Open Camera on your iPad.
  2. Select Portrait mode.
  3. Hold your iPad in front of you. Frame yourself in the portrait box.
  4. Tap the Shutter button to take the shot.

Change the Portrait Lighting effect

Studio-quality lighting effects can be applied to the selfies you take in Portrait mode on models that support Portrait Lighting.

  1. Open Camera on your iPad.
  2. Select Portrait mode.
  3. Hold your iPad in front of you. Frame yourself in the portrait box.
  4. Drag the Portrait Lighting control to choose a lighting effect:
    • Natural Light: The face is in sharp focus against a blurred background.
    • Studio Light: The face is brightly lit, and the photo has an overall clean look.
    • Contour Light: The face has dramatic shadows with highlights and lowlights.
    • Stage Light: The face is spotlit against a deep black background.
    • Stage Light Mono: The effect is similar to Stage Light, but the photo is in classic black and white.
    • High-Key Light Mono: The effect creates a grayscale subject on a white background—iPad Pro 11-inch (2nd generation and later) and iPad Pro 12.9-inch (4th generation and later) only.
  5. Tap the Shutter button to take the shot.

Adjust Depth Control in Portrait mode

On models that support Depth Control, use the Depth Control slider to adjust the level of background blur in the selfies you take in Portrait mode.

  1. Open Camera on your iPad.
  2. Select Portrait mode.
  3. Hold your iPad in front of you. Frame yourself in the portrait box.
  4. Tap the Depth Adjustment button on the right side of the screen to show the Depth Control slider.
  5. Drag the slider left or right to adjust the effect.
  6. Tap the Shutter button to take the shot.

Once you’ve taken a photo in Portrait mode, the Depth Control slider in the Photos app lets you adjust the level of background blur further. See our guide, Blur the background in portraits.

See also

Tag: camera
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How to take photos with your iPad camera

by Tyler Stephen

Learn how to take photos with your iPad camera. Choose from camera modes such as Photo, Video, Pano, and Square, and use camera features such as Burst and Live Photos.

You can also set a timer to give yourself time to get in the shot, control the flash on models with True Tone Flash, and zoom in or out. Burst mode captures a range of photos of a moving subject, and with supported AirPods, you can even take a photo from the AirPod stem.

The Camera open in Photo mode.

Take a photo

  1. Open Camera on your iPad.
  2. Tap the Shutter button or press either volume button.

With supported models of AirPods and AirPods Pro, you can press the AirPod stem to take a photo.

Note: For your security, you’ll see a green dot at the top of the screen whenever Camera is in use. To learn more, check out our article, Control access to hardware features.

Switch between camera modes

When you first open Camera, Photo mode is selected and Photo and Video modes appear onscreen. Tap Photo or Video to switch between the two, or swipe up or down to choose other modes.

You can select from the following modes, depending on your iPad model:

  • Photo: Take still photos and Live Photos.
  • Video: Record a video (see Record a video).
  • Time-lapse: Create a time‑lapse video of motion over a period of time (see Record a time-lapse video).
  • Slo-mo: Record a video with a slow-motion effect (see Record a slow-motion video).
  • Portrait: Apply a depth-of-field effect when using the front-facing camera (see Take a portrait).
  • Pano: Capture a panoramic landscape or other scene (see Take a panorama photo).
  • Square: Take photos with a square ratio.

Use the timer

Set a timer on your iPad camera, and you’ll have time to get in the shot.

  1. Open Camera on your iPad.
  2. Tap the Timer button and tap 3s or 10s.
  3. Tap the Shutter button to start the timer.

Turn the flash on and off

iPad models that support True Tone Flash let you control the flash.

  1. Open Camera on your iPad.
  2. Tap the Flash button. Then tap Auto, On, or Off.

Zoom in or out

  1. Open Camera on your iPad.
  2. Do one of the following:
    • Pinch the screen to zoom in or out.
    • Tap 1x on the left side of the screen.
    • Drag the slider on the left side of the screen up or down.
    • Touch and hold the zoom controls on the left side of the screen, then drag the slider right or left.

Take a panorama photo

  1. Open Camera on your iPad.
  2. Select Pano mode, then tap the Shutter button.
  3. Pan slowly in the direction of the arrow, keeping it on the center line.

    Camera in Panorama mode. An arrow, left of center, points right to show the direction of the pan.

  4. To finish, tap the Shutter button again.

Tap the arrow to pan in the opposite direction. To pan vertically, rotate iPad to landscape orientation. You can reverse the direction of a vertical pan, too.

Capture action shots with Burst mode

Burst mode with your iPad camera works well for capturing photos of a moving subject, or for taking multiple high-speed photos so you have a range of photos to choose from. Both the front and rear cameras can take Burst photos.

  1. Open Camera on your iPad.
  2. Select Photo or Square mode.
  3. Touch and hold the Shutter button to take rapid-fire photos.

    The counter shows how many shots you took.

  4. Lift your finger to stop.
  5. To select the photos you want to keep, tap the Burst thumbnail, then tap Select.

    Gray dots below the thumbnails mark the suggested photos to keep.

  6. Tap the circle in the lower-right corner of each photo you want to save as an individual photo. Tap Done.

To delete the entire group of Burst photos, tap the thumbnail, then tap the Delete button.

See also

Tag: camera
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How to record a video with your iPad camera

by Dave Johnson

Use your iPad camera to record videos, including slow-motion and time-lapse videos.

Depending on your iPad model, you can record in HD, 4K, HD (PAL), and 4K (PAL) formats. You can zoom in and out, and zoom more precisely on supported models, and with supported AirPods, you can even record a video from the AirPod stem. When Camera is in use, a green dot appears at the top of the screen for your security.

Here’s how to record a video with your iPad camera.

Note: Video recording isn’t available during a phone or FaceTime call.

Record a video

  1. Open Camera on your iPad.
  2. Select Video mode.
  3. Tap the Record button or press either volume button to start recording. While recording, you can do the following:
    • Pinch the screen to zoom in and out.
    • To zoom more precisely, touch and hold 1x, then drag the slider (on supported models).
  4. Tap the Record button or press either volume button to stop recording.

With supported models of AirPods and AirPods Pro, you can press the AirPod stem to record a video.

Note: A green dot appears at the top of the screen while Camera is in use, as a security measure. Read our article, Control access to hardware features.

Record in HD or 4K video

High-quality formats like HD, 4K, HD (PAL), and 4K (PAL) are available for recording video, depending on your iPad model.

Note: Faster frame rates and higher resolutions make your video files larger.

  1. Open Settings, tap Camera, and then tap Record Video.
  2. Select from the list of video formats and frame rates that your iPad supports.

    Turn on Show PAL Formats to select a PAL option.

    Note: PAL is a television video format used in many countries and regions in Europe, Africa, Asia, and South America.

Use quick toggles to change video resolution and frame rate

You change the video resolution and frame rate your iPad offers with the quick toggles at the top of the screen in Video mode.

Record a slow-motion video

In Slo-mo mode, your video records as normal, then plays back in slow motion. Later, you can edit the video and choose which parts play in slow motion. See our guide, Edit slow-motion section of a video shot in Slo-mo mode.

  1. Open Camera on your iPad.
  2. Select Slo-mo mode.
  3. Tap the Record button or press either volume button to start and stop recording.

    To set a portion of the video to play in slow motion and the rest at regular speed, tap the video thumbnail, then tap the Edit button. Slide the vertical bars below the frame viewer to define the section you want to play back in slow motion.

Your model determines whether you can change the frame rate and resolution. A faster frame rate and a higher resolution both make the resulting video file larger.

To switch between 120 or 240 fps and your available resolutions, tap the buttons above the Shutter button.

Record a time-lapse video

Time‑lapse captures footage at selected intervals to create a video of an experience over a period of time, such as traffic flowing or a setting sun.

  1. Open Camera on your iPad.
  2. Select Time-lapse mode.
  3. Position your iPad to frame your subject. Place it on a stable surface or tripod.
  4. Tap the Record button to start and stop recording.

Adjust Auto FPS settings

In low-light situations, iPad models that support Auto FPS can improve the video quality by automatically reducing the frame rate to 24 fps.

Go to Settings > Camera > Record Video, then do one of the following:

  • On iPad (9th generation), iPad Pro 11-inch (1st generation and 2nd generation), and iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation and 4th generation): Turn on Auto Low Light FPS.
  • On iPad (10th generation), iPad mini (A17 Pro), iPad mini (6th generation), iPad Air (4th generation and later), iPad Pro 11-inch (3rd generation and later), and iPad Pro 12.9-inch (5th generation and later): Tap Auto FPS, then apply Auto FPS to 30-fps video only or to both 30- and 60-fps video.

After you apply Auto FPS, when the camera is open and in Video mode, you can tap the FPS control to switch between 24, 30, or 60 fps.

Lock the white balance setting

To get more accurate color capture based on lighting conditions, lock the white balance when recording videos on your iPad.

Go to Settings > Camera > Record Video, then turn on Lock White Balance.

See also

Tag: camera
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