Lock Screen Camera & Camera Control

Starting with iOS 18, a specially secured version (“extension”) of ProCamera can be opened and used without unlocking your iPhone, meaning no passcode, Touch ID, or Face ID required.
You can launch this secure extension via the Lock Screen Camera widget or the Camera Control button. To protect your privacy, certain features and folders remain restricted in the Lock Screen Camera, especially when the device is locked.

The Lock Screen Camera launches in two scenarios:

• When you launch ProCamera by tapping the Lock Screen Camera widget on the Lock Screen.

   

• When you launch ProCamera by pressing the Camera Control button (iPhone 16 and newer).

   

In both cases, the secured Lock Screen Camera will launch instead of the main ProCamera app.

Note that if Face ID detects your face and unlocks the iPhone in the process, there will be less security restrictions. For example, the thumbnail will show your last capture.

Difference between the main ProCamera app and the ProCamera Lock Screen Camera

Main app	Lock Screen Camera
Full access to the photo library and all features	No access to the photo library, app settings, available disk space, battery level, etc.

Both, the locked camera extension and the main app appear virtually identical; however, they differ in access levels for security reasons.

Therefore, when you use ProCamera while the device is locked, a black thumbnail appears in the bottom left corner instead of the most recent photo or video. This prevents others who temporarily use your phone from seeing your previous captures.

Main app		Lock Screen Camera

After capturing a photo in the ProCamera Lock Screen Camera, the black thumbnail will update to display the new photo. However, to view the photo in full size, you’ll need to unlock your iPhone.

Opening the main ProCamera app from ProCamera Lock Screen Camera

You can switch from the Lock Screen Camera to the full ProCamera app at any time. Just try to access a feature that isn’t available in the Lock Screen version.

Option 1: Tap the album thumbnail to open the Media Library. Since it’s part of the main app, you’ll be asked to unlock your iPhone. Once authenticated, the full version of ProCamera opens with all features available.
Option 2: Tap Settings, Shop, or Support in the Control Panel. You’ll be prompted to unlock your device, then taken to the full app with full access.

Option 1		Option 2

Saving to Lightbox/Private Lightbox when using the Lock Screen Camera

ProCamera supports saving to Lightbox or Private Lightbox even when using the secure Lock Screen Camera. Files are temporarily stored in a protected area and automatically imported once the main app is opened.

The import may take a moment, and you’ll see a brief notification while it’s in progress. After that, all captures will appear in your selected save location.