How To Set A Timer On An iPhone Camera
Once you know how to set the timer on your iPhone camera, go experiment with it. While these tools have practical uses, the real fun stuff comes from experimentation.
Take Selfies Without Your Arm In The Frame
Perhaps one of the easiest and most effective ways to use your self-timer is to capture a classic selfie without the classic selfie-arm. Thousands of photographers and Instagram influencers have mastered this art, and now its your turn.
Ideally, you want to have something to set your camera up with. While you could lean it against a wall or some books, the best way to get self-portraits like a pro is to use a stand or tripod. The Lamicall Phone Stand is adjustable so you can capture your best angles, and the UBeesize 51 Extendable Tripod Stand comes with a Bluetooth remote.
Once you have your iPhone secure, do the following:
There are tons of positions, angles, and poses you can experiment with to take creative self-portraits, so play around and have fun with it.
How To View Burst Mode Pictures
iPhone takes pictures in burst mode when you enable the timer. But when you try to view them in the Photos app, you wont be able to see all the shots taken through burst mode. Instead, you will only see one sample chosen by the app. So how to view the rest of the pictures taken through burst mode? Follow along.
But if you dont want your iPhone to take pictures in burst mode while using the timer, I have the solution.
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How To Set The Timer On iPhone Camera
Now that we know where to find the timer on your iPhone camera, lets look at how to set or disable the iPhone timer.
If you are using iPhone X or earlier:
For iPhone Xs and later:
When enabled, the timer icon will appear at the top right. To stop the timer, tap the timer icon again â select off.
How To Take Better Night Photos With iPhone 11 Night Mode

When shooting photos at night, your worst enemy is the camera shake that results when you press the shutter button. For crisp night shots, you will need to keep your camera as still as possible, and using the timer helps reduce camera shake.
If you are shooting with an iPhone 11 or iPhone 11 Pro, you will find that your camera automatically turns on Night mode in low-light situations. Night mode actually captures multiple images when you press the shutter button. Then it blends the photos into one crisp shot.
The Night mode icon, which looks like a circle with a crescent moon inside it, will automatically turn yellow when it is activated. A number will appear next to the icon to let you know how long the shot will take. A tripod will help you keep your camera still during night photography.
Use the iPhone camera timer to delay the shutter and reduce shake. When you press the shutter button, a timer will count down automatically, letting you know how long the shot will take.
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How To Use The iPhones Built
The iPhone has a built-in photo timer that is simple yet effective enough to serve your needs in most cases. To use it, simply open the camera app and swipe up from the center of the screen to open camera controls. Alternatively, you can tap the upward arrow that looks like a circumflex at the top of the iPhone to see the same controls.
The timer control isnt immediately visible, so you need to drag the control strip to find it. Tap the button that looks like a clock face to see the iPhones photo timer options. The choice is limited to 3s and 10s, representing 3-second and 10-second delays. When the self-timer is set, it will appear in the upper-right corner of the screen where the statuses of various camera settings are shown.
After choosing your preferred photo delay, you can close the timer control by tapping the clock button again, swiping from the center of the screen toward the shutter button, or tapping the downward arrow . Then any other camera settings can be adjusted as you wish.
Its important to note that the timer retains its settings for multiple photos and must be switched off if you want to snap a quick picture. Theres no option in the Settings app to change this behavior. Even closing the app and reopening, or sleeping the iPhone doesnt change the camera timer mode. However, if you power the iPhone off and on or restart it, the timer resets to off.
How To Take Better Night Photos With Older iPhone Models
If youre shooting with older iPhone models, you can take beautiful night shots by using the iPhone camera timer and a tripod. Set your timer for 3 seconds to avoid the shake that is introduced when you tap the shutter. Here are some more tips for shooting beautiful night photos using any type of iPhone.
- Dont shoot moving subjects. Because the shutter stays open longer in low-light situations, any movement will create blur. You will keep your camera still by using your timer and a tripod, but your subject should also refrain from moving. Portraits are totally doable in low light, but shooting animals, toddlers, or cars probably wont work well.
- Reduce the exposure before taking a photo. Reducing the exposure in your photo will prevent your night shots from looking grainy. You can change how much light is captured in your scene by tapping on the screen when framing your shot. An exposure slider will appear. Move the slider down to reduce the exposure.
- Find sources of light to help illuminate the scene. As technologically advanced as iPhones have become, they cant shoot photos in complete darkness. Artificial lighting will add interest to your night shots and improve your chances of capturing details in your scene. Experiment with different light sources and compositions until you are happy with the results.
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How To Set Timer On iPhone Camera Easy Steps
If you want to take a perfect selfie or group photos with your friends at any moment, you better head for the set timer. But if you dont know how to set timer on iPhone camera, here is a clear guide.
My friends often ask me why my Photos are always clicked at the right time with perfect pose Well its not just that I use iPhone but there are some iPhone features that help me to capture my photos in the right position such as a timer on iPhone camera.
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Adjust The Cameras Focus And Exposure
Before you take a photo, the iPhone camera automatically sets the focus and exposure, and face detection balances the exposure across many faces. If you want to manually adjust the focus and exposure, do the following:
Tap the screen to show the automatic focus area and exposure setting.
Tap where you want to move the focus area.
Next to the focus area, drag up or down to adjust the exposure.
To lock your manual focus and exposure settings for upcoming shots, touch and hold the focus area until you see AE/AF Lock tap the screen to unlock settings.
On iPhone 11 and later, you can precisely set and lock the exposure for upcoming shots. Tap , tap , then move the slider to adjust the exposure. The exposure locks until the next time you open Camera. To save the exposure control so its not reset when you open Camera, go to Settings > Camera > Preserve Settings, then turn on Exposure Adjustment.
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Does The iPhone Camera Timer Work For Video And Portrait Mode
Apple already had the code written and user-interface elements designed so it would have taken very little effort to give iPhone owners the option for a video timer. Unfortunately, the iPhones camera app doesnt have a way to start a video after a few seconds delay. Its hard to find fault with Apple since its easy to trim a few seconds off of the beginning of a video after it has been recorded. The iPhones self-timer is only available in Photo and Portrait mode.
How To Use The iPhone Camera Timer For Selfies And Group Shots
The iconic selfie has been around for a few years now, but even with a selfie stick, you end up with a weird-looking hand or an awkward shoulder in your photo. For a more natural selfie or group photo, you need two things a tripod and your iPod camera timer.
The 10-second timer is best for selfies and group photos because it gives you a chance to zip over to your chosen spot and get yourself situated. Here are some instructions and tips for taking an amazing selfie or group photo using your iPhone photo timer:
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Bonus: How To Take Multiple Photos At Once Manually
Your iPhone can take multiple photos at once using the Burst mode feature without enabling the timer and without pressing the Shutter button repeatedly.
Even though Burst mode is hidden in the iPhones Camera app, you can use it quite easily as shown below:
Tip: On iPhone XS, iPhone XR, and later, you can also press and hold the Volume Up button to take burst photos. Make sure the Use Volume Up for Burst feature is enabled under Settings -> Camera.
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How To Use Your iPhone Camera Timer For Hands

Posted by Nicholas RocheComments 3
Did you ever wonder how to take sharp, high-quality photos with your iPhone in low light, or a group shot with you in it? Whatever your goal, the camera timer found in the native camera app is most likely the solution. Read on to discover how your iPhone camera timer can help you take much better photos.
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How To Set A Timer On iPhone Camera
The first thing you will need to know is how to turn your self-timer on and off. Heres how to do it:
Composing When Using An iPhone Photo Timer
Your hands should be off the phone by the time the timer on iPhone camera starts. So its ideal to check your composition before you press the shutter.To help you compose your shot, turn on your cameras grid line. It uses the Rule of Thirds to guide where you place your main point of interest.All you have to do is position your subject wherever any of the lines intersect. It doesnt only bring balance to the image, it also makes it look more pleasing.You should also inspect the edges of your screen. If you see any unnecessary visual elements in the photo, get rid of them. At the same time, you should also make sure that your subjects head, hands, and feet are in the frame.Otherwise, theyd look decapitated. You definitely dont want that to happen.If you want to include yourself, know exactly where to go by the time the countdown camera starts. That way you dont waste your time figuring out where to stand.Also make sure that youre in the frame or youll get cut. Ask a friend to be your stand-in to help you judge where to place yourself in the photo.If youre by yourself, take a few test shots and adjust your position until you get the composition right.
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Does iPhone 13 Have A Camera Timer
No timer on iPhone 13 camera? Is there a photo timer on iPhone 13? This is a common query as most people are unable to figure out how to take a timed photo on iPhone 13 or iPhone 12.
Worry not, all the latest iPhones including iPhone 11, 12, and 13 include a setting for self or camera timer. Its just that first-time iPhone users usually get confused while trying to find the camera timer settings. Thats because some features like self timer are slightly buried in the camera app UI on newer iPhones.
Now lets see how to use the camera timer on iPhone 13, 13 Pro, 13 Pro Max, and iPhone 12.
Manual ‘slow Shutter’ Photography
iPhones dont let you take true classic low-light images. This is where the shutter is opened for a set, fairly long period of time, allowing for loads of light to hit the sensor when theres barely any to see.
The iPhone camera app offers not shutter speed control. Even with the help of a third-party app, you can only manually engage the shutter for a maximum of one second. However, you can get certain slow shutter speed effects like light trails and smooth-looking water in motion, and these will often benefit from a timed shot.
These can be performed both with the iPhones own camera app and a third-party ones. Heres how it works in the baked-in Camera app.
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How To Use The Camera Timer On iPhone
Make sure youre ready to take your pictures when you do this. Youll probably want to mount your iPhone on a tripod or similar object to take your photos.
When youre ready, on your iPhone, launch the Camera app.
At the top of your screen, tap the up-arrow icon. Youll now see the timer icon at the bottom of your screen. Tap it.
Note: If you dont see the timer icon at the bottom of your screen after tapping the arrow at the top of your screen, look for the timer icon at the top of your screen.
After tapping the timer icon, youll see a 3s and a 10s option. The former sets a 3-second timer and the latter a 10-second timer. Choose your option here.
After youve chosen an option, start the timer by tapping the shutter button.
Your iPhone will start a countdown of your selected timer. When the times up, itll automatically capture a photo. This photo will be saved in the Photos app.
You can view your photos enlarged version by tapping the thumbnail in the Camera apps bottom-left corner.
And thats it. Enjoy taking as many beautiful photos as you want with this little but useful iPhone camera feature.
Did you know you can capture RAW photos as well as take good pictures at night with your iPhone? Check out our guides to learn more.