You may have noticed that when you zoom in, the sound becomes more focused and the focus is on the subject. We call this audio zoom, a feature that has been available since the iPhone 11 series. This feature automatically adjusts the sound based on the zoom level, making videos sound more professional without the need for additional equipment.
Since iOS 26.4, it is possible for the first time to disable audio zoom on your iPhone. Previously, this feature was always enabled and you had no control over it. We explain how the function works and how you can disable it.
Audio zoom for iPhone
Anyone who frequently films with the iPhone has undoubtedly seen the audio zoom function in action. The option ensures that the sound is more focused and clearer when you zoom in on a subject, such as a speaker or athlete.
When zooming out, the sound becomes wider and more encompassing, with more ambient noise, for a natural effect. This simulates professional microphone patterns and automatically reduces background noise. The feature works seamlessly with the existing Camera app and requires no additional hardware.
While audio zoom has been available for some time, the difference in recording is most noticeable on iPhone models with advanced cameras and microphones, such as the Pro series. Especially in combination with reducing wind noise and recording spatial audio.
Disable iPhone audio zoom
Available sinces iOS 26.4
You can easily disable Audio Zoom on your iPhone using the steps below.
- Open Settings
- Navigate to ‘Camera‘
- Tap ‘Record sound‘
- Enable the option ‘Audio zoom‘ out
Once you disable the sound option, the audio remains consistent regardless of zoom level while recording a video and afterwards during playback, which is useful for uniform recordings such as concerts or interviews.
Using the steps above, you can further adjust the sound settings, such as recording in Spatial audio, Stereo or Mono. You can only adjust these sound options via the settings, unfortunately not during a recording or via the Camera app.