iPhone 18 Pro camera may come with pro software, Apple considered buying Halide

Two months in the past, Halide cofounder and designer Sebastiaan of With made a shock (*18*) that he was becoming a member of Apple’s design workforce. It seems the transfer got here after Apple initially expressed curiosity in buying Lux Optics, the app improvement studio behind the pro camera app.

Apple planning iPhone 18 Pro camera software program improve

Apple reportedly needs to carry extra pro camera options to its software program because the iPhone 18 Pro camera hardware goes increased finish this 12 months.

Aaron Tilley reports for The Information that Apple held talks to amass Lux Optics final summer season.

Lux Optics makes Halidethe favored third-party pictures app, in addition to Kino for capturing video, Specter for lengthy publicity pictures, and Orion for turning an iPad into an exterior HDMI monitor.

Sadly, public data of Apple’s curiosity in buying Lux Optics surfaced in a lawsuit filed towards With by cofounder Ben Sandofsky.

As far as Apple’s acquisition pursuits go, nonetheless, the lawsuit claims that the corporate was all in favour of Lux Optics’ mental property:

The acquisition of Lux, whose Halide app offers customers extra exact handbook management over the iPhone camera’s {hardware}, may have helped Apple speed up its efforts to enhance its built-in camera app, a prime precedence for the corporate proper now.

The camera in Apple’s upcoming iPhone 18 Pro fashions will start to match
professional-grade cameras by way of sure superior options. As a end result, the corporate is seeking to give the built-in camera app on its smartphone an improve, folks acquainted with the effort stated. The current iPhone camera app comprises principally primary controls.

The Information says that talks between Apple and Lux ​​Optics resulted in September when the 2 cofounders agreed that future updates to Halide may improve the corporate’s worth.

Apple considered buying Halide, lawsuit claims

A month later, Sandofsky started investigating his cofounder over alleged misuse of firm funds earlier than putting him on go away. The lawsuit states that de With was fired by Lux in December.

It additionally alleges that de With has “confidential materials related to Lux’s future product development” and the Apple Design Award gained by Lux Optics.

Frankly, the Lux Optics state of affairs sounds unlucky with clear problems with distrust. It’s a tragic state of affairs for such an adored app.

There’s arguably no Halide with out With’s design chops and advertising expertise. It’s additionally attention-grabbing to be taught that even earlier than being employed to design for Apple (for a second time), Lux Optics was shifting ahead with out de With.

But messy lawsuit apart, it is smart that Apple is all in favour of enhancing its first-party pictures instruments. There would really be no Lux Optics with out the iPhone camera {hardware}.

As Apple continues to squeeze extra pro options into its cameras, it solely is smart for the software program to comply with.

Meanwhile, With has design chops that contact on each person interface side past camera software program. Perhaps we’ll see the primary indicators of his affect at WWDC 2026 with iOS 27.