While taking a selfie is one of the easiest things you can do on your smartphone, holding the phone up with one hand can severely limit your posing options. If you want your selfie to stand out, taking a hands-free picture is your best bet. Luckily, your iPhone is well-equipped to handle this task. In this article, we bring you 8 simple methods to take hands-free selfies and photos on your iPhone.
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Table of Contents
Use the timer
The easiest way to take a hands-free selfie or photo on an iPhone is by using the camera app’s self-timer. The most important part of the process is finding the right frame and ensuring the picture is well-lit. Start by propping your camera against a surface. Ideally, the camera should be positioned in a way that the subject of the image is facing the light source, or at least adjacent to it. Once you’re done with framing the shot, follow these steps to activate the timer.
Step 1: Swipe up on the camera app display to reveal the controls.
Step 2: Tap on the clock icon.
Step 3: Select the appropriate timer option. If you’re taking a selfie, three seconds should be enough.
Step 4: Tap the shutter. Your iPhone will shoot the picture after the selected time has elapsed.
Use your Apple Watch
If you own an Apple Watch, taking a hands-free selfie or photo on your iPhone should be a breeze. You can even use your Apple Watch as a viewfinder. Here’s how.
Step 1: Launch the Camera Remote app on your Apple Watch.
Step 2: Prop your iPhone against a wall or a solid surface.
Step 3: After you’ve got the framing right, tap the shutter icon on your Apple Watch.
Use a Selfie Stick
Selfie sticks can connect to your iPhone via Bluetooth or a headphone jack (if you’re using an older iPhone with a headphone jack). Once the connection is established, you can easily take a picture without using the controls on your iPhone’s screen. While it may not be technically ‘hands-free’, this method still allows you to take a picture with a wider frame by yourself.
Use wired headphones
If your headphones are connected to your iPhone via the headphone jack, you can easily take a picture remotely by pressing the volume button on the headphone controls. Unfortunately, this trick does not work for AirPods. With wired headphones, you can press either volume button to snap a quick picture.
Enable Voice Control
Seasoned iPhone users will know that pressing a volume button takes a picture when the Camera app is open. Using Voice Control, if you ask your iPhone to turn the volume up or down while the Camera app is open, it will take a quick picture. Here’s how you can take enable voice control on your iPhone.
Step 1: Go to Settings and select Accessibility.
Step 2: Scroll down and select Voice Control.
Step 3: Enable voice control on your iPhone.
Use the ‘Say Cheese’ shortcut
Step 1: Make sure Siri is enabled on your iPhone.
Step 2: Go to the Shortcuts app and switch to the Gallery tab.
Step 3: Search for Say Cheese.
Step 4: Select the Say Cheese shortcut and tap Add Shortcut.
Once this shortcut is enabled, all you need to say is ‘Hey Siri, Say Cheese’ and your iPhone will take a picture with the rear camera.
Use hand gestures
Unlike most Android phones, the iPhone does not have native support for taking pictures via hand gestures. However, there are a few third-party apps you can use to accomplish this task. One of the best apps for this purpose is GoCam by Crunchfish. Using GoCam, you can take pictures and videos with a ‘Grab’ gesture. You can also browse through the gallery using swipe gestures and show thumbs up to mark a photo as a favourite.
Use the Volume keys
While it may not be strictly ‘hands-free’ you can use the volume keys to take a photo on your iPhone. Simply launch the Camera app and press the volume up or volume down button to take a quick picture.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How do I take hands-free selfies and photos on an iPhone?
You can take a hands-free selfie on an iPhone using the timer function in the camera app. You can also press the volume key on your Earpods to take a quick picture.
How do I take a picture on an iPhone using Siri?
To take a picture using Siri, go to the Shortcuts app and select Gallery>Say Cheese>Add Shortcut. Then say ‘Hey Siri, Say Cheese’ to take a quick picture.
Does the iPhone support hand gestures to take a picture?
While the iPhone does not have native support for taking pictures by detecting hand gestures, you can use third-party apps like GoCam by Crunchfish to carry out the task.
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Conclusion
These are the 8 quick methods to take hands-free selfies or photos on your iPhone. While taking a hands-free picture, it’s essential you get the framing of the shot right. The most important part is placing the subject where it is well lit. If the photo doesn’t turn out to your liking, you can still salvage it with a little editing. Here is our list of the 5 best photo editing apps for iPhone.
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