The iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max feature some of the best smartphone cameras available, including Apple's first-ever macro mode for extreme close-ups as near as 2 cm. Capture intricate details like your pet's fine fur, leaf veins, or screen sub-pixels with stunning clarity.
Unlike other modes, macro activates automatically—no dedicated button required. When you bring the phone within 10 cm of a subject, it switches to the ultra-wide lens. Some users found this jarring, so Apple added an option to disable automatic switching in iOS 15.1. However, manually selecting the ultra-wide lens won't get you quite as close by default. Here's a full-resolution example:
Photo by Sean Hollister / I/O Means
Photo by Sean Hollister / I/O MeansSo, how do you make the most of macro mode?
It's fully automatic: Open the Camera app and slowly approach your subject until it blurs, then ease back until it's sharp. For reliability, position until the autofocus yellow square appears. Hold steady—use two hands, brace against something, or mount on a tripod for best results. At these distances, even slight movement causes blur, so take multiple shots handheld and pick the sharpest.
That's all there is to it, unless you've disabled Auto Macro.
If the automatic lens switch from the main camera disrupts your workflow, toggle it off in iOS 15.1+: Go to Settings > Camera and find Auto Macro at the bottom. Switch it off to disable.
Apple may add a manual toggle later, like the 0.5x or 3x buttons. For now, with Auto Macro off, switch to the ultra-wide lens and follow the same approach: get close, back off to focus, and hold still. Autofocus works, but minimum distance is greater.
You can mimic auto-macro results by zooming: Apple shared with I/O Means that it crops a 3MP section from the 12MP ultra-wide sensor, upscales it, and applies processing—effectively doubling from 13mm to 26mm equivalent. Hold the 0.5x button and drag the zoom slider to about 0.9x for similar framing.
Compare these shots of a Maui bamboo coaster with wood-fired lettering, taken as close as possible: auto macro (first), cropped 0.5x (second), and in-phone 0.9x (third). Auto macro edges out in sharpness thanks to Apple's processing, but all deliver impressive detail.
With these tips from hands-on testing, you're set for pro-level macros. Share your best shots in the comments!
