December 5, 2025, 12:10 pm | Read time: 3 minutes
It’s rare for Apple to remove features from the iPhone without explanation. Typically, this happens due to design changes (Photos app) or space-saving measures (3D Touch). However, a recent case discovered by savvy users in the camera app on the iPhone 17 Pro is different. The option for night shots in portrait mode is missing–a practical feature that users now miss.
No Portraits in Low Light
Since the iPhone 12, Apple has offered a night mode in the camera app designed to “capture more details in low-light conditions.” Users can choose the exposure time for night mode–the longer, the brighter. The option appears automatically when the iPhone detects poor lighting conditions.
In the iPhone Pro models, this feature has been available for portrait shots, allowing for images with depth blur even at dusk or in darkness. The corresponding support document provides information: “On supported models, you can take photos in ‘Portrait’ mode in night mode.” However, the list of supported models only includes the following:
- iPhone 12 Pro/Pro Max
- iPhone 13 Pro/Pro Max
- iPhone 14 Pro/Pro Max
- iPhone 15 Pro/Pro Max
- iPhone 16 Pro/Pro Max
There’s no mention of the iPhone 17 Pro/Pro Max. Yet, the current Apple flagship appears multiple times in the support document–including for night mode in standard shots and night mode for selfies and time-lapse videos.
Reason for Removing the Feature Unknown
Indeed, the night mode for portraits is no longer found in the camera app on the iPhone 17 Pro. The option, marked with a crescent moon, usually appears automatically when you cover the lenses. Not so with the iPhone 17 Pro.
Users have been reporting since October in Apple’s own community forum and on Reddit that the feature has disappeared from the camera app on the iPhone 17 Pro. Some initially assumed it was a bug. However, the support document confirms that this is not the case.
Also interesting: Users report: Orange iPhone 17 Pro suddenly turns pink
Owners of the new iPhones are understandably annoyed by the downgrade and complain that night portraits don’t look as good as they should. One comment also points out that Apple previously listed night mode portraits as an advantage in the comparison overview for earlier iPhone Pro models. This column has since disappeared from the overview, so users can’t see in a direct comparison that the iPhone 17 Pro no longer supports the feature.
TECHBOOK has asked Apple for an explanation but has not yet received a response.