The iPhone 17 Pro is packed with camera upgrades, but it also ships with one surprising downgrade that Apple never mentioned. Night mode simply stops working the moment you switch to Portrait mode.
This feature has been around since the iPhone 12 Pro, so its removal feels random and slightly confusing.
Here’s the breakdown, along with a little healthy side-eye.
A Feature Every Pro Had… Until Now
Night mode portraits debuted in 2020. Since then, they have been a staple of the Pro lineup. If you wanted dramatic, low-light portraits with depth, the iPhone handled it like a champ.
Try the same on the iPhone 17 Pro and the moon icon vanishes the moment you move from Photo to Portrait. The options menu shows nothing related to Night mode. The phone behaves as if the feature never existed.
Pointed out by MacWorld, Apple’s own iPhone User Guide confirms this. Every Pro model from 12 Pro to 16 Pro supports Night mode in Portrait mode. The 17 Pro does not.
Why Remove It? Here Are The Theories
Apple has not said a word yet. So the best we can do is connect the dots.
One likely explanation:
Night mode photos are capped at 12 megapixels. Portrait mode on the iPhone 17 Pro captures at 24 megapixels. The two pipelines may not currently mix.
This is still strange. The 17 Pro has more than enough camera power to support both. The feature could simply be missing because Apple is reworking the imaging system and has not finished integrating the two modes.
If that is true, a future update could bring it back.
Will Apple Bring It Back?
Apple rarely removes flagship camera features permanently. That said, users across Reddit and Apple’s forums have been calling this out for months, and Apple has kept quiet.
Users who relied on Night mode portraits will definitely feel this. Especially people who shoot indoors, in restaurants, or anywhere the lighting is actually interesting.
The iPhone 17 Pro is incredible in daylight. In low light, Portrait mode is suddenly less magical.
