Apple has clarified that the new texture and grain controls can only be used on older iPhone models when editing photos taken with the newest iPhones. The company updated its press releases, which initially caused confusion, to specify that these controls apply only to photos taken with certain cameras on the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Duo.
Apple has clarified that its new texture and grain controls for stylizing photos will initially be more limited on older phones than expected. According to the company's statement, these features will only be available on older iPhone models when editing photos taken with the newest iPhone models.
The press release in which Apple announced the new features alongside the iPhone 18 and 18 Pro earlier this month contained confusing wording, stating that they would be "available" on older devices such as the iPhone 16 and iPhone Air that "support the latest generation of Photographic Styles." However, it has emerged that the word "available" does not mean older iPhone models will have full access to these new features.
According to the company's statement, making texture adjustments to enhance or smooth a person's skin and adding film grain will only be an option when these phones are used to edit frames captured with the newest iPhone models. Apple has updated its recent press releases to state that these controls can only be used for "photos taken with iPhone 18 Pro models and the Ultra Wide, Main, and Center Stage cameras on iPhone Duo."
The original version of a release published on September 11, one day before pre-orders opened for the new versions of the iPhone and Apple Watch, is still available in its original form on other websites. The footnote in that version states that the new "texture and grain controls in Photographic Styles will be available in iOS 27 on iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, iPhone 16 Pro Max, iPhone 17, iPhone Air, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and iPhone Duo."
This limited compatibility was also confirmed by a Reddit user who stated that on their iPhone 16 Pro Max, they could only make texture and grain adjustments when editing sample photos that photographer Austin Mann took with the iPhone 18 Pro and made available for download on his website. On my own iPhone 16 Pro running iOS 27, I was able to access these new Photographic Styles controls when editing Mann's samples, but the controls were not available on photos I took myself.
According to the report, Apple was asked for comment on how the feature is supposed to work on older phones, but the company did not immediately respond.
