Managing iPhone Camera Noise: Silencing the Shutter Sound

7. September 2023

The shutter sound that accompanies iPhone photos can sometimes be disruptive or unwanted, especially in quiet environments. Whether you're capturing moments discreetly or simply prefer a silent photography experience, this guide will walk you through various methods to suppress the camera shutter sound on your iPhone.

Methods to Turn Off Camera Sound

Muting the iPhone Ringer

Locate the physical switch on the left side of your iPhone, above the volume buttons.
Toggle the switch to the position where it shows orange. This silences the iPhone ringer.
With the ringer muted, the camera shutter sound will also be suppressed.

Lowering the Volume in Control Center

Swipe down from the upper-right corner of the screen (iPhone X and newer) or swipe up from the bottom of the screen (iPhone 8 and older) to open the Control Center.
Slide the volume slider down to near zero. This action lowers the system volume.
Lowering the volume using Control Center allows you to keep the ringer on while suppressing the camera shutter sound.

Live Photos and Shutter Sound

With the introduction of Live Photos, Apple made a change to the camera sound behavior. By default, when Live Photos is enabled, the shutter sound is automatically suppressed. This is to prevent the shutter sound from interfering with the audio captured during Live Photo recordings.

Using Live Photos to Disable the Shutter Sound

Permanently Activating Live Photos

Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
Scroll down and tap on Camera.
Under the Preserve Settings section, turn on the toggle switch for Live Photo. This ensures that Live Photos settings are preserved across photography sessions.
Exit the Settings app and open the Camera app