iOS 26 lets third-party apps access these two big iPhone camera features — what we know

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Cinematic Mode and Audio Mix are getting a little bit less restrictive

Apple iPhone 16 held in the hand.
(Image credit: Future)

There are a lot of new things coming in iOS 26, including hidden features you might not be aware of. And, as more people use the iOS 26 developer beta, the more we're learning about the kind of things the software could include when the final version arrives on iPhones later this year.

It also turns out that Apple seems to be extending the capabilities of existing features in iOS 26 as well. According to two reports from MacRumors, Apple is expanding Cinematic Mode and Audio Mix to third-party apps, meaning you should be able to access both features in places other than the Apple Camera and Photos apps.

Audio Mix

iPhone 16 Pro using Audio Mix.

(Image credit: Future)

Audio Mix is an AI feature exclusive to the iPhone 16 family, including the iPhone 16e. The idea behind it is that you can edit the sound of a video after it's been recorded, letting you change things like the level of background noise or improve the volume of people speaking.

iOS 26 beta allows third-party apps to offer the same Audio Mix features that were previously exclusive to the Apple Photos app. According to MacRumors, this will start with third-party apps on macOS Tahoe, and it isn't clear if other iPhone 16 apps will get the same upgrades.

There are three additional settings on offer with Audio Mix, after "Standard," which is the official term for the original recorded audio.

In-frame reduces sounds and voice from anything that can't be seen on the camera, while Studio reduces background noise and reverb — to mimic the way audio sounds when recorded in a professional studio setting. Cinematic, as the name suggests, is meant to emulate audio from movies. That means voices are on the front-facing track, while background noises are left in surround.

Videos must be recorded with spatial audio, which is enabled by default on iPhone 16. So if you turned that off, you may want to dive into the settings and switch it back on.

Cinematic Mode

a photo of the iPhone 13 Pro

(Image credit: Future)

Cinematic Mode is a lot less restrictive, in that it's already been available for a few years and can be found on multiple generations of iPhone. All the way back to the iPhone 13 series, in fact.

Initially, Cinematic Mode could only be recorded in the Apple Camera app, with Apple adding third-party editing and playback in iOS 17. But as of WWDC 2025, Apple has released a new APL that allows third-party apps to record the footage as well — offering an all-in-one Cinematic Mode experience.

Cinematic Mode was built after the way they film Hollywood movies, and uses something called "rack focus" to shift focus from one subject to another more seamlessly, which all happens with a depth-of-field effect.

The APK is still new, so it's unclear which apps will actually implement this new feature. What we do know is that iOS 26 will be the software that makes third-party Cinematic Mode possible.

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Tom Pritchard
Tom Pritchard
UK Phones Editor

Tom is the Tom's Guide's UK Phones Editor, tackling the latest smartphone news and vocally expressing his opinions about upcoming features or changes. It's long way from his days as editor of Gizmodo UK, when pretty much everything was on the table. He’s usually found trying to squeeze another giant Lego set onto the shelf, draining very large cups of coffee, or complaining about how terrible his Smart TV is.

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