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David Degner

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Change the default Camera App in iOS 14

In iOS 13 Apple opened their ecosystem to allow you to change many of your default apps such as Mail, and Safari. They don’t allow you to change your default Camera app yet. I personally prefer to use Halide but rarely opened it because the Camera app on the lock screen is so convenient.

Now with advances in the Shortcuts app in iOS 14 and especially iOS 14.1 we can seamlessly make any app our default Camera App. Clicking on the Camera icon on the Lock Screen or Dashboard now open the app of your choice.

First open the “Shortcuts” App

It is used to automate actions on your phone

Select “Automation” at the bottom of the screen

Tap the + sign to add a new Automation

Tap “Create Personal Automation”.

Scroll down a little and select “App”

This will allow us to trigger the automation by opening the Camera App

Choose “Camera” on the next screen under the app that we want to use as our trigger.

Select “Add Action”

Select “Scripting” because we will be triggering a very simple script.

Select “Open App” because we want to open an alternative Camera app.

Select “Choose” and find the alternative default camera app. I chose Halide because it gives a lot of control, but any Camera app will work.

Voila! You are done. Now when you hit any of the Camera icons your new default camera App will open up!

I personally turn off the “Ask Before Running” because I want to be a transition as smooth as possible.

But you may want to be asked before opening your default Camera App, especially if you sometimes want to shoot video in the normal iOS Camera App.

Filed Under: Essays