# How to Take Pictures of Yourself With iPhone

> **TL;DR** To take a picture of yourself with iPhone, stand the phone on something steady, open Camera, tap Timer, choose 3, 5 or 10 seconds, tap the Shutter button and get into the frame. For a trigger you hold, press the stem of supported AirPods, or use Camera Remote on Apple Watch, which also shows you the frame. With a second iPhone, Futari turns that phone into a live viewfinder and shutter for the first one, so you see the shot while you pose and take it yourself.

To take pictures of yourself with an iPhone, stand it on something steady, set the
Camera timer to 3, 5 or 10 seconds and walk into the frame, or fire the shutter from a
distance with an Apple Watch or AirPods. The timer and AirPods don't show you the frame
while you pose; Apple Watch shows it on your wrist, and a second iPhone running Futari
shows it on a full phone screen.

Below are Apple's own ways first, what each one can and can't do, and then how a
second iPhone changes the job. The second iPhone can be a spare you own or a friend's
phone. If you have only one phone, the timer is still your answer.

## How do I take a picture of myself with the iPhone timer?

Open Camera, tap Timer, choose 3, 5 or 10 seconds, then tap the Shutter button and get
into the frame before the countdown ends. The steps, from
[Apple's Camera guide](https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/use-camera-tools-iph3dc593597/ios):

1. Stand the iPhone on a shelf, a wall or a tripod, back camera facing where you'll be.
2. Open Camera.
3. Open the camera tools: tap their button, or swipe up from the camera modes at the
   bottom of the screen.
4. Tap Timer, then tap 3, 5 or 10.
5. Tap the Shutter button, then walk into the frame.
6. When you're done, open the same menu, tap Timer and tap the timer icon to turn it
   off. Otherwise the next shot counts down too.

The timer needs nothing extra, which is why it's the default answer. What it can't do
is show you anything once you've left the phone. You framed the shot for an empty
spot, and you find out whether you stood in the right place only when you walk back
and look. For a travel photo or an outfit shot, that usually means several round
trips.

## Can I use the volume buttons or the front camera instead?

Yes, if the shot can be taken at arm's length. Apple's
[Camera basics page](https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/camera-basics-iph263472f78/ios)
says you can press either volume button to take a photo, and on supported models click
the Camera Control. Switch to the front camera and you see yourself on the screen while
you press. The limit is your arm: you get a selfie, not a full-length photo with the
place behind you, and the back camera stays unused.

## How do I take a picture of myself with Apple Watch?

Open your iPhone's Camera, then open Camera Remote on the watch and use the watch face
as the viewfinder. Apple's
[Camera Remote guide](https://support.apple.com/guide/watch/camera-remote-apda6e61c287/watchos)
covers the rest:

1. Put the iPhone on a stable surface or a tripod, which Apple recommends.
2. Open Camera on the iPhone. A hint appears at the bottom of the watch face; tap it,
   then tap Camera Remote.
3. Frame the shot on the watch, zoom with the Digital Crown, and tap the preview to set
   exposure.
4. Tap the Shutter button. By default it fires after a 3-second timer, which you can
   turn off in the app's settings.

Camera Remote also switches between the front and rear camera and sets the flash. It
has two limits. The watch has to stay within normal Bluetooth range of the iPhone,
which Apple puts at about 10 meters (33 feet). And you're judging your pose on a
screen the size of a watch face.

## Can AirPods take a picture on iPhone?

Yes. AirPods 4, AirPods 5, AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3 and AirPods Max 2 can take a
photo or start a video, on an iPhone with iOS 26 or later, according to
[Apple's AirPods guide](https://support.apple.com/guide/airpods/use-airpods-with-camera-apps-dev8e2a2ba2e/web).
To set it up, open Settings, tap your AirPods' name, tap Camera Remote (under Controls
& Gestures if you don't see it) and choose Press Once or Press and Hold. Then open
Camera and press the stem, or the Digital Crown on AirPods Max 2.

AirPods are a trigger only. Apple's page describes no preview, so you're back to
guessing the frame, as with the timer, but you choose the moment instead of a countdown.

## Which way lets you see yourself before the photo is taken?

Apple Watch, the front camera at arm's length, and a second iPhone are the ones that
show you the frame while you pose. The timer and AirPods don't.

| Method | What you need | See the frame while posing? | Limits |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Camera timer | Your iPhone | No | Fixed 3, 5 or 10 s countdown |
| Volume buttons, front camera | Your iPhone | Yes | Arm's length only |
| AirPods | Supported AirPods, iOS 26 | No | Trigger only |
| Apple Watch Camera Remote | An Apple Watch paired to the iPhone | Yes, on the watch | About 10 m (33 ft) Bluetooth range; watch-sized preview |
| Futari | A second iPhone, both on iOS 26, both on the same Wi-Fi, one subscription | Yes, full phone screen | Back camera only; no timer; iPhone only |

## How does a second iPhone take a picture of you?

One iPhone films and the other is its
[viewfinder](https://www.coduo.co/futari/features/live-viewfinder) and
[shutter](https://www.coduo.co/futari/features/remote-shutter). In Futari the two roles
are called Shoot and See. You stand the Shoot phone where the camera should be, and
you hold the See phone in the shot with you.

![A woman on a sofa holds the See phone, which shows her own live picture from the Shoot phone across the room](/content/take-pictures-of-yourself-with-iphone/photo-see-preview.webp)

The Shoot phone uses its back camera. The See phone shows its live picture, fitted to
the screen with black bars rather than cropped, so what you see is the whole frame the
photo will have. From the See phone you can do three things: take the
photo (or start and stop a video), zoom, and tap the picture to set focus and exposure
on the other phone. Photos and videos come out in 9:16 portrait.

Every shot is saved to a "Futari" album on both phones once you allow Photos access, so the photo is already on the
phone in your hand when you walk back. The two phones talk to each other directly over
Wi-Fi. Photos and videos go phone to phone with no server in between. The app does
send anonymous usage events, such as when a pairing or a shot happens, with no photos
or personal data in them.

## Why doesn't Futari have a self-timer?

Because the timer solves a problem the second phone removes: you can't see the frame,
so you give yourself ten seconds and hope. In Futari the person in the photo holds the
live frame and the shutter. When the pose looks right on the screen in your hand, you
take it.

Futari had a timer until 17 September 2026, when the team deleted it together
with burst, a framing grid, filters and the flip-camera button, as controls "nobody
asked for in a two-phone camera", in a decision record called ADR-0001. Bringing any of
them back now takes a new design first.

What that leaves out:

- **No front camera.** Shoot always uses the back camera; there is no flip.
- **No timer or burst.** You press once, you get one photo.
- **No flash control.** Flash stays on Auto.
- **No portrait mode or filters.** Futari has photo and video, nothing else.
- **You need two iPhones.** Both must run iOS 26. Futari doesn't run on iPad or Android.

## How do I take pictures of myself with two iPhones?

Put Futari Kamera on both iPhones, join them to the same Wi-Fi, pair them, and pick See
on the phone you'll hold.

1. Install Futari Kamera on both iPhones. Both need iOS 26.
2. Join both phones to the same Wi-Fi network.
3. Open Futari on both. When the other phone shows up, tap it. The other phone asks to
   accept the connection; tap Accept.
4. On the phone you'll hold, tap **See**. The other phone is put on Shoot for you.

   ![Futari's role screen with two large buttons, See and Shoot, under the two paired phone names](/content/take-pictures-of-yourself-with-iphone/futari-14-role-pick.webp)

5. On the Shoot phone, pick PHOTO or VIDEO. The See phone has no mode switch of its
   own: its shutter takes a photo in PHOTO and starts or stops recording in VIDEO, so
   set the mode before you walk away.
6. Stand the Shoot phone on something steady, back camera facing your spot.
7. Walk into the frame with the See phone. Zoom or tap to focus if you need to, and
   press the shutter when the picture looks right. Keep the See phone low or behind
   you if you don't want it in the shot.
8. Open the Futari album in Photos on either phone to find the shot.

Keep Futari open on both phones while you shoot: sending the app to the background on
either one ends the pairing. The screen doesn't lock on its own while the app is open,
so the Shoot phone stays live on the shelf. At least one of the two phones needs a
subscription, and it covers both phones for that session; see
[Futari pricing](https://www.coduo.co/futari#pricing).

If you're shooting alone with one phone, use the timer. If a friend, a partner or a
spare iPhone is around, the second phone lets you stop guessing and see the photo
before you take it. More on the app at [coduo.co/futari](https://www.coduo.co/futari).

## Frequently asked questions

### How do I take a picture of myself with my iPhone without anyone else?

Stand the iPhone somewhere steady, open Camera, tap Timer and choose 3, 5 or 10 seconds, then tap the Shutter button and step into the frame. If you own an Apple Watch, its Camera Remote app shows the frame on your wrist and takes the photo from up to about 10 meters (33 feet) away.

### Can I see myself while the iPhone timer counts down?

Not from where you are standing. The preview stays on the iPhone's screen, which faces away from you when you use the back camera. Apple Watch Camera Remote shows the preview on your wrist, and a second iPhone running Futari shows it full screen in your hand.

### Can one iPhone control another iPhone's camera?

Apple documents no built-in way to do it. Its own camera remotes are Apple Watch Camera Remote and AirPods. For iPhone to iPhone you need an app: Futari shows one iPhone's back camera on the other and fires, zooms and focuses it from there, with both phones on iOS 26 and on the same Wi-Fi.

### Does Futari have a self-timer?

No. Futari removed its timer, together with burst, on purpose. The person in the photo holds the phone that shows the live frame and presses the shutter when the pose is right, so there is no countdown to guess against.

### Do both iPhones need a Futari subscription?

No. At least one of the two phones needs a subscription, and it covers both phones for that session. Plans are on the Futari pricing section at coduo.co/futari#pricing.