iPhone 17 Pro loses this popular camera feature despite hardware support: Here’s why?

iPhone 17 Pro quietly changes how users shoot low-light portraits after Apple removes Night Mode support. Here’s why the feature disappeared.

Apple’s latest iPhone 17 Pro models have launched with several camera changes, but users have noticed the absence of a feature that many relied on for low-light portraits. The company has quietly removed the ability to use Night Mode while capturing Portrait shots, which ends a capability that first appeared four years ago.

Apple has quietly dropped the low-light portrait photography option from the latest iPhone 17 Pro models. (Apple)

By MD Ijaj Khan

Ijaj Khan is a technology journalist and Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times, with over three years of experience covering the consumer technology industry. His work spans smartphones, laptops, wearables, gaming, appliances and AI - from hands-on reviews, comparison and buying guides to breaking news and in-depth features that help readers cut through the noise and make informed decisions. Before joining HT Tech, he worked with Jagran New Media, where he sharpened his instincts for fast-paced digital reporting. He holds a Post Graduate Diploma in English Journalism and Mass Communication from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), Delhi. Whether he's testing the latest flagship smartphone, tracking a major AI announcement, or putting a gaming laptop through its paces, Ijaj approaches every story with the same goal - making technology feel relevant and easy to understand for everyday users, not just enthusiasts. When he's not in front of a screen for work, he's usually travelling to a new city, hunting for great food, or keeping tabs on what's next in tech before everyone else catches on.

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Night Mode on iPhones

Apple introduced Night Mode in 2019 with the iPhone 11 to help users take clearer photos in dark environments. A year later, the iPhone 12 Pro lineup became the first to offer Night Mode Portraits by using the LiDAR scanner to gather depth data in low-light settings. Apple expanded this system over subsequent releases and continued upgrading the camera hardware with larger sensors.

In 2023, the iPhone 15 series introduced an automatic Portrait function. When the camera detected a face, a pet, or an object, it captured depth information in the background, allowing users to convert the shot into a Portrait later. This removed the need to manually switch modes and made Portrait photography more flexible.

Issue on iPhone 17 Pro

However, early users of the iPhone 17 Pro have reported that Night Mode no longer works when shooting Portrait photos. A user on Apple’s Discussion Forum pointed out that the camera prevents Night Mode from activating in Portrait mode, even in extremely low-light situations. The user mentioned that covering the lens forced the flash to activate, but Night Mode did not appear as an option. When switching to the regular photo mode, Night Mode worked as expected under the same lighting conditions.

Apple’s support pages now confirm this change. According to the updated documentation, Night Mode Portraits are available on models ranging from the iPhone 12 Pro to the iPhone 16 Pro. The iPhone 17 Pro is not listed, which indicates that Apple intentionally removed the feature in the current generation.

The decision has raised questions because the iPhone 17 Pro still includes the required hardware. The device retains the LiDAR scanner and uses upgraded sensors, which previously supported Night Mode Portraits without issue. Some users speculate that Apple’s changes to the placement of the LiDAR scanner or flash module may have affected how the feature performs. Others believe Apple may have decided to discontinue the function due to reliability challenges.

Despite this change, the iPhone 17 series still supports Night Mode for selfies and time-lapse videos, which shows that the software and hardware are still capable of enhancing images in low light.