iOS 18 has now landed with a host of new software toys, but the biggest one for photographers may be a handy new customizable lock screen trick. You can now replace Apple's basic Camera app in the lock screen with more powerful ones – like Halide and Moment's Pro Camera.
Halide Mk II and Pro Camera continue to be among the best camera apps around thanks to pro-grade features like manual focusing and bracketing. Thanks to updates for both, you can now put them on your lock screen, effectively bypassing the stock Camera here for the first time.
To do this, you need to update to both iOS 18 (go to Settings > General > Software Update) and have the latest version of Halide Mk II (2.16) or Pro Camera (5.5). Now, long-press your lock screen and tap the 'Customize' button at the bottom of the screen. Tap the 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 given a much longer list of possible options, including the Halide and Moment apps in the 'Capture' section.
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, all without the need to unlock your phone using Face ID or a password.
If you're looking for a powerful camera app that you can fire up in milliseconds, this could be quite a helpful upgrade. The only downside is that Halide II does require a subscription of £19.99 / £19.99 / AU$29.99 a year or $2.99 / £2.49 / AU$4.49 a month. There are also one-time purchase options of $59.99 / £59.99 / $99.99. Moment's app costs $8.99 / £8.99 / AU$14.99, but does contain further in-app purchases for other features.
Appy days
There have long been calls for Apple to make a Pro version of its stock Camera app – and the recent arrival of Final Cut Camera, which contains pro video controls, suggested that may just been on the cards.
Instead, it appears that Apple is happy simply making its stock Camera app for casual shooters, and letting third-party apps from the likes of Halide and Moment fill the gap for more demanding shooters – even now letting them live on its lock screen.
Those two apps aren't the only impressive third-party camera apps for the iPhone, with Obscura, Lightroom, and ProCam all being popular options for different reasons.
However, Halide and Moment are among the few to push out app updates that take advantage of this particular iOS 18 feature, letting you put them front and center on your lock screen at the expense of the stock Camera app. If you need to quickly take a shot using focus peaking, histograms, or more, that could be a very handy little tweak indeed.
