Every iPhone photographer knows the drill: you spend a minute getting the Camera app just right — Video mode, a warmer filter, exposure nudged up a touch — and the next time you open the app, it’s all gone. Back to Photo mode, defaults everywhere. This reset is deliberate: Apple wants the camera to launch instantly in a predictable state. But when you shoot the same way every day, rebuilding your setup from scratch gets old fast. The fix is a buried panel called Preserve Settings. Flip the right switches once, and the Camera app remembers exactly how you left it.
It takes less than a minute, and it survives app restarts and reboots. (If the Camera app itself is misbehaving — launching slowly, for example — sort that out first.)
Turn on Preserve Settings
The switches live in the Settings app, not in the Camera app — which is why most people never find them:
- Open Settings. On iOS 18 and later, go to Apps > Camera; on earlier versions, Camera sits directly in the main Settings list.
- Tap Preserve Settings.
- Turn on the toggles that matter to you:
- Camera Mode — reopens the last mode you used (Video, Portrait, Pano) instead of defaulting to Photo.
- Creative Controls — keeps your filter, aspect ratio, light, and depth choices.
- Exposure Adjustment — holds your exposure compensation value.
- Night Mode — remembers whether Night Mode was on or off, while still adapting to darkness.
- Live Photo, Portrait Zoom, Macro Control — available depending on your model.
- Open the Camera app, set everything the way you like it, then close the app completely and reopen it. Your setup is intact.
The exact list of toggles varies by iPhone model — newer phones offer more. Apple’s Preserve camera settings guide documents each option.
What still resets
Preserve Settings isn’t a total freeze. The flash always returns to Auto and the self-timer switches off, so glance at those before an important shot. Also note that launching the camera from the lock-screen shortcut always starts in Photo mode — your preserved settings apply when you open the full Camera app. (If pocket-launches keep ruining your day, you can disable the lock-screen camera shortcut entirely.)
If it still doesn’t work
- Settings keep resetting: double-check that you flipped the toggles under Settings > Camera > Preserve Settings. Adjustments made only inside the Camera app are forgotten on close — the Settings toggles are what make them stick.
- A toggle you want is missing: your iPhone model may not support it. Check Settings > General > Software Update too, since Apple occasionally adds preserve options in iOS updates.
- The Camera app acts strangely overall: force-close the app and restart your iPhone. If odd behavior survives a restart, install any pending iOS update — camera bugs are frequently fixed in point releases. Prefer watching? Here’s a video walkthrough of Preserve Settings.
Frequently asked questions
Does Preserve Settings keep my flash setting?
No. The flash returns to Auto every time you reopen the Camera app, and the timer switches off as well. Preserve Settings covers shooting mode, creative controls, exposure compensation, Night Mode state, Live Photo, and macro control — not the flash or timer.
Why does the Camera app still open in Photo mode?
First, confirm the Camera Mode toggle is actually switched on — it’s the one responsible for remembering your last mode. Second, the lock-screen shortcut always starts in Photo mode; preserved settings only apply in the full Camera app. Set your preferred mode once with the toggles enabled, and it sticks from then on.
Conclusion
Thirty seconds in Settings saves you from rebuilding your camera setup every time you shoot. Turn on Preserve Settings once, and your iPhone camera finally behaves the way you’d expect — it remembers. Then put those sticky settings to creative use, like recording video with the front and rear cameras at the same time.
