The latest version of Apple’s iOS 15 beta seems to be making subtle improvements to photos by processing out the green lens flares that can show up in outdoor pictures .
Many iPhone users will be familiar with the green blobs, and while taking a picture it seems like nothing’s changed — the flare still shows up in the viewfinder.
The feature only being available on newer phones wouldn’t necessarily be surprising: some of iOS 15’s features, like Live Text or Portrait mode for FaceTime, already have the A12 Bionic listed as a requirement.
Reddit user -DementedAvenger- posted examples of the flare still showing up on top of trees or mesh bug-proof window screens, as well as flares that came from a bathroom light instead of the sun.
Another limitation is video: I couldn’t find any scenarios where flares showed up any differently in the final video than they did in the viewfinder.
As always with beta features, the functionality we’re seeing here could be different with the next release, or gone altogether.