A feature we’ve taken for granted since 2020 – the ability to take portrait mode photos in night mode – has quietly disappeared from the latest Pro models. Users noticed something was wrong and reported it on Reddit and Apple forums. Now, Apple has officially confirmed via a support document that Night Mode portraits are indeed no longer available on the iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max.
What happened
Portrait mode changed the game when it launched, but the iPhone 12 Pro really took it to the next level. Thanks to the LiDAR scanner, we were able to capture creamy shots with blurred backgrounds even in low light conditions by combining Night mode’s long exposure with portrait depth mapping. Every Pro model from the 12 to the 16 could do this.
But with the iPhone 17 Pro, that combination is dead. If you try to switch to portrait mode in the dark, the night mode icon simply disappears. The phone doesn’t even save the depth data needed to add the blur later. Comparative tests confirm it: an older iPhone with the same software can still do it, but the brand new 17 Pro Max cannot. It turns out that this is not a bug. it is an intentional removal.
Why it matters and why you should care
For many of us, Night Mode portraits weren’t just a gimmick — they were the only way to take good photos of friends at a dim bar, a concert, or a holiday dinner. Removing it fundamentally changes the way you use the camera in low light.
So why kill? Apple hasn’t said, but we can make some educated guesses:
- Motion Blur: Night mode requires a long exposure time. If people move even slightly, the portrait will be ruined.
- Noise and Grain: Combining Night Mode’s heavy processing with artificial bokeh often resulted in “soft” or grainy images.
- Resolution drop: Night mode portraits are stuck at 12MP, while the 17 Pro wants to capture regular portraits at a much sharper 24MP.
Apple probably decided that the quality compromise was no longer up to their standards. However, silently removing a feature that people rely on is incredibly frustrating – especially for those upgrading specifically for the camera.
What’s next?
Apple hasn’t hinted at bringing it back, although it has reversed previous bad decisions when users complained loudly enough.
For now, if you have an iPhone 17 Pro, you have a choice: you can have a bright photo (Night Mode) or a blurry background (Portrait). You can no longer have both. Until Apple fixes the problem or fixes it again, all you have to do is adjust the way you shoot when the lights go out.
