iOS 27 lets you pin manual camera controls to the main camera screen

What iOS 27 changes in the Camera app

Apple's iOS 27 release brings customisable controls to the built-in Camera app, according to 9to5Mac. The change means users can move controls that were previously hidden inside a menu onto the main shooting screen, so they are available with a single tap.

The feature matters most on the iPhone 18 Pro, where the Camera app offers a set of pro-style manual controls. These include aperture, shutter speed, white balance, and switching between manual and auto focus. By default, the controls sit inside a menu that needs an extra tap to open.

How to set up the customisable controls

Setting up the feature is straightforward. Inside the camera menu, tapping the Edit button, which sits in the top-left corner when the phone is held vertically, lets users choose which controls appear on the main screen. Any added control is then one tap away while shooting.

This effectively turns the stock Camera app into something closer to a standalone camera, which 9to5Mac notes is a key reason photographers turn to third-party apps in the first place.

Which controls are most useful

9to5Mac's columnist describes his own photo setup as an example. He pins aperture, shutter speed and white balance, the three manual settings he uses most. He also adds exposure compensation, saying it is a quicker way to brighten or darken a shot than dragging up or down within the frame.

Finally, he places the histogram, a small graph that shows the spread of light and dark tones in the image, on the main screen to help judge exposure.

His video setup is similar but slightly different. It includes aperture, white balance, exposure compensation and the histogram, plus one-tap access to frame rate and focus modes, since he is more likely to switch focus mode while filming.

What it means for third-party camera apps

The columnist, Ben Lovejoy, writes that he previously relied on several third-party camera apps because he likes manual control. With the new pro controls on the iPhone 18 Pro and the customisable layout in iOS 27, he says there are now more situations where Apple's own Camera app is enough.

He still concludes that third-party apps have an important role. Dedicated apps often offer more depth than any built-in app can provide. Even so, he describes this single change as a big improvement to his everyday photography and filming on the stock app.

Readers should treat the enthusiasm as one writer's opinion rather than an independent review. 9to5Mac first noted the customisable controls feature in September, and the setup described requires an iPhone 18 Pro for the full set of manual controls such as aperture.