Apple appears to answer various user concerns with the iOS 26.1 beta 4 release. Along with the option to tone down the Liquid Glass design, the company is also adding a toggle for the option to launch the camera directly from the lock screen.
Apple will allow you to disable the “Swipe to Open Camera” Lock Screen gesture.
Swiping left from the lock screen to launch the iPhone camera app is one of the oldest and best-known gestures on iOS, but Apple has never given users a choice about it. That’s changing with iOS 26.1, in which the company is adding a toggle that allows you to disable the Lock Screen Swipe to Open Camera. The change was noticed by Aaron Perris, who posted about it on X.
iOS 26.1 beta 4 FINALLY adds a setting to disable “swipe to open camera” on the lock screen! pic.twitter.com/kgLHMSClor
With the new toggle, Apple continues to allow more and more customization to the lock screen of iOS 26. However, the option to turn off that gesture will be warmly welcomed by anyone who has only used the gesture accidentally.
That shouldn’t have taken so long
Apple added the Camera Control button with the iPhone 16. | Image credit – PhoneArena
Apple is famous for limiting its users, but that change is long overdue. Before the launch of the iPhone X, that gesture was the easiest way to launch the camera from the lock screen. However, with the iPhone X, Apple added a dedicated camera button on the lock screen, making the gesture redundant.
Do you want to turn of the Lock Screen Swipe to Open Camera gesture on your iPhone?
Yes, I’ll do it right away
40%
I might try it, but I’m not sure
0%
No, I’m too used to it
60%
More recently, Apple introduced the Camera Control button on the iPhone 16. With it, users started having three distinct ways to launch the camera app. Fortunately, iOS 18 allowed users to customize the lock screen buttons, though there was no option to disable or customize the swipe gesture.
The Camera Control button made its return on the iPhone 17 series, keeping the redundancy. With the new toggle, you can finally go back to having only one way to launch the camera from your lock screen. Or use all three, if that’s your thing.
Muscle memory will be tough to change
I appreciate Apple giving me the option to customize my iPhone further, but I don’t think I’ll disable the gesture. After launching the camera on my phone in the same way for so many years, the gesture is ingrained in my mind. I can change some habits, but not this one.
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Ilia, a tech journalist at PhoneArena, has been covering the mobile industry since 2011, with experience at outlets like Forbes Bulgaria. Passionate about smartphones, tablets, and consumer tech, he blends deep industry knowledge with a personal fascination that began with his first Nokia and Sony Ericsson devices. Originally from Bulgaria and now based in Lima, Peru, Ilia balances his tech obsessions with walking his dog, training at the gym, and slowly mastering Spanish.
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