Obscura adds iPhone 16 Camera Control support, Lock Screen access in iOS 18

Obscura is a powerful third-party camera app for iPhone, and it just got even more capable. With the launch of iOS 18 and the iPhone 16, Obscura can now be accessed directly from your iPhone’s Lock Screen, adjusted via the Camera Control, and more.

One big change in iOS 18 is the addition of a new API that gives camera apps more advanced privileges when added to the Lock Screen. Obscura, developed by our friend Ben Rice McCarthy, takes full advantage of this capability so you can now replace the default Camera app shortcut on your Lock Screen with Obscura.

This includes the ability to quickly launch directly into Obscura and start taking pictures without authenticating with Face ID or Touch ID—a privilege that was previously exclusive to Apple’s Camera app. As part of this, Obscura also added the ability to recognize QR codes.

In addition to support for this iOS 18 feature, Obscura also takes advantage of the new Camera Control on the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro. With Obscura’s support for Camera Control, you can launch the app from anywhere as well as control zoom and exposure. There’s also support for adjusting focus, filters, and formats with the Camera Control in Obscura.

Obscura is available on the App Store as a free download. You can unlock the app’s full set of features for $3.99 per month or $19.99 per year. If you want to venture into the world of third-party iPhone camera apps, Obscura is a great one to check out.

Read more about Obscura: Obscura 4 launches as a powerful yet intuitive iPhone camera app