You’ve found the perfect spot for a selfie. You hold up your iPhone, do your best pout, and take the shot. It’s perfect, but for one small thing; your blurry arm in the foreground of the shot. If only there were some way you could use a remote to fire your iPhone camera without having to hold it.
Well, if you have an Apple Watch, you can do exactly that. The Camera Remote app on the Apple Watch allows you to trigger your iPhone camera directly from your watch face. You can even see a live feed from your iPhone camera on your Apple Watch to help you compose the perfect shot. Here’s how to use your Apple Watch to take photos on your iPhone.
How to use Apple Watch to take photos on your iPhone
Taking a photo on your iPhone using the Apple Watch Camera Remote app is simple to do, and quickly becomes second nature.
- Open the Camera Remote app from the app grid or list. The Camera app on your iPhone will automatically open.
- Alternatively, ask Siri on your Apple Watch to take a photo, which will launch the Camera Remote app and open the Camera app on your iPhone.
- Position your iPhone where you want it. You can see a live feed from your iPhone camera on your Apple Watch to help you compose your shot.
- You can zoom your iPhone camera in or out by turning the digital crown on your Apple Watch.
- To change the exposure, tap the area of the image on your Apple Watch that is the main focus of your shot.
- Tap the Shutter button.
- A three-second countdown will start on your Apple Watch and iPhone, and your iPhone will flash.
- When the counter reaches zero, the photo is captured and saved in Photos on your iPhone.
How to view the photos you take using your Apple Watch
Once you’ve taken a photo, you can review it on your Apple Watch without having to touch your iPhone. This allows you to check if the photo has turned out well, or if you’ve cut off someone’s head and need to take it again.
You can also take multiple shots and then review them all on your Apple Watch. Once you close the Camera Remote app, however, you won’t be able to view these images on your Apple Watch any longer; you’ll only be able to see them on your iPhone.
- After you’ve taken one or more shots, tap the small preview in the bottom left of the Camera Remote screen on your Apple Watch.
- To see other photos you’ve just taken, swipe left and right on your Apple Watch face.
- If the Close button or image number is restricting your view, tap the screen to hide them.
- Tap the screen again to make them reappear.
- To zoom in on a photo, rotate the digital crown.
- You can drag a zoomed photo to view different parts of the image.
- To fit the image to the screen, double tap it.
- When you’ve finished reviewing the images, tap the Close icon.
How to change the Camera Remote app settings
It’s possible to tweak some of the camera settings that are used when taking your photos directly from the Camera Remote app. You can remove the countdown timer, choose to use your iPhone’s front camera, change the flash settings, turn on Live Photos, and turn HDR on or off.
- Open the Camera Remote app on your Apple Watch.
- Tap the Three Dots icon.
- Toggle the three-second timer on or off.
- Select between Front or Rear iPhone cameras.
- Set Flash to Auto, On, or Off.
- Set Live Photo to Auto, On, or Off.
- Set HDR on or off.
- Tap Done to save your settings.
- Take your photo following the steps above.