In a surprising and unannounced move, Apple has removed the ability to take Night mode portraits on its latest flagship smartphones. Users of the new iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max have discovered they can no longer capture portrait photos with the depth effect in low-light conditions, a feature that has been a staple since the iPhone 12 Pro.
What Exactly Has Been Removed?
The change is specific to the Portrait mode within the Camera app. When users switch to Portrait mode in a dark environment, the familiar Night mode icon no longer appears. This affects both the front and rear camera systems. Consequently, portraits taken in low light now result in significantly darker images, as the phone no longer combines the longer exposures and computational photography of Night mode with the depth-sensing required for the portrait effect.
This removal was not communicated by Apple in any marketing material or even in the iOS 26 release notes. Instead, users and tech reviewers found out through hands-on testing, with many initially suspecting a device defect. Discussions on platforms like Reddit and Apple's own support forums confirmed the feature's absence was intentional and universal.
Why Would Apple Take a Step Back?
This decision marks a rare reversal for Apple, which typically adds to its camera capabilities with each generation. The supported feature list confirms that Night mode in Portrait mode remains fully functional on all previous models from the iPhone 12 Pro through to the iPhone 16 Pro Max.
Industry observers suggest a potential technical rationale. The iPhone 17 Pro series introduces a refined 24-megapixel default photo processing pipeline aimed at delivering cleaner detail with less noise. Night mode portraits, which rely on longer exposures, can sometimes introduce motion blur, digital artifacts, and unnatural smoothing, especially if a subject moves. Apple may have decided that the cleaner, albeit darker, image from the new system is preferable to a brighter but potentially noisier one.
A key limitation now exists for iPhone 17 Pro users: while standard Night mode photos can still be taken in the regular Photo mode, these images lack the depth information needed to be converted into a portrait shot later. This 'Portrait mode later' capability is something that iPhone 16 Pro users still enjoy.
User Impact and Unanswered Questions
The immediate consequence is that owners of Apple's newest and most expensive phones have fewer creative options in low light than owners of older models. For many photography enthusiasts, the ability to capture a well-lit portrait with a beautiful background blur in a dim restaurant or at night was a valued feature.
Apple has remained silent on whether this is a permanent design choice or a temporary omission. The company has not confirmed if Night mode Portraits will be reinstated via a future software update. This leaves current iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max users in a peculiar position, waiting for clarity on whether they will regain a photography tool their predecessors still possess.
The situation underscores how feature changes, even subtractive ones, can be implemented quietly in the tech world, leaving it to the user community to uncover and decipher the implications.
