iPhone Duo for kids: the cover screen camera

Start with what works on any phone

The cover screen helps most when the basics are already in place. Our guide to photographing toddlers and kids covers them in full. The short version: get down to the child's height, use soft window light and keep the session to five or ten minutes. Babies have their own rules in how to get a baby to look at the camera.

What this page adds is a plan for the part that is hardest with any child: giving them something worth looking at while you work the phone.

What the cover screen does for a child's photo

On an iPhone Duo, AnyFront can lend a hand. While the phone is open and AnyFront's camera is running, the cover screen faces the person you are photographing. You watch the viewfinder and the manual controls on the inner screen; the child gets a screen of their own. A child who is watching it is facing the phone, which is the direction you want. Treat it as something to try, not a promise: some children will be fascinated and some will not care.

From the inner screen, you choose what the cover screen shows:

• A photo or a video from your library, picked by you.
• One of eight original animations, called grabbers in the app: Bubbles, Peekaboo, Rainbow Spiral, Bouncy Ball, Confetti Burst, Silly Face, Fish Tank and Smile Countdown.
• A live mirror of the shot, so the child can see themselves in the frame.

Set it up

1. Open the phone and start AnyFront's camera.
2. On the inner screen, open the Cover Screen sheet and switch on Show on cover screen.
3. Pick a tab: Grabbers, Photo, Video or Mirror.
4. Hold or prop the phone where the child can see the cover screen, out of reach of grabbing hands.

iOS decides when the cover screen is available. It is used only while the phone is unfolded, the app is open in front of you and the camera is running. If nothing is showing, check those three things, and that cover-screen display is switched on in the app. Folding the phone or leaving the app switches it off, and it comes back when you return.

To be plain about cost: the manual camera is free on every compatible iPhone, and the cover-screen features are a one-time purchase on iPhone Duo, with no subscription. AnyFront Camera is coming to the App Store on 23 October. The cover-screen camera page explains how it all fits together.

When the first idea stops working

Children tire of things fast. The useful part is that you can change what is showing from the inner screen without leaving the camera, so one flop does not end the session. Here is a ladder to climb:

1. Something they already love. A photo of the family dog, a video of a grandparent, a favorite toy. Familiar is a good place to start.
2. An animation. When the photo fades, switch to Bouncy Ball, Bubbles or Rainbow Spiral for something that moves, or Silly Face and Peekaboo for a laugh.
3. The live mirror. Older children may enjoy checking their own smile. Smile Countdown counts "3, 2, 1, Smile!" on the cover screen, which they may like to count along with.
4. Their choice. Show the animation tiles before you start and let your child pick one.

Switch when their attention starts to drift, not after it is gone. If the animations flop, a photo of someone they know is worth a second try.

Keep a moving child sharp

These settings work on every compatible iPhone, not only a Duo. Set them before you start the show, because the child's attention is the part you cannot get back.

• Shutter. Pick SHUTTER in the control row. Start around 1/500 s for outdoor play and treat 1/250 s as a floor for indoor wriggling. A faster shutter lets in less light, so raise ISO or move closer to a window. For more on picking a speed, see our shutter speed guide for moving kids and pets.
• Focus. A child who is watching the cover screen tends to stay put, which makes focus easier. Tap to focus on their eye, check it with focus peaking (it outlines the edges that are in focus), then use AE/AF lock so the camera does not shift when a head tilts.
• Exposure. A child in front of a bright window can turn into a silhouette. Raise EV (exposure compensation) until the face looks right, and watch the zebras, which mark the brightest areas, so the window does not wash out completely.

A short session with a helper

Five or ten minutes is plenty. Here is a plan that keeps you ahead of a short attention span:

1. Before the child arrives, choose two or three things to show, put the first on the cover screen and set focus and exposure.
2. Bring the child in with a helper. One person plays and talks; the other works the phone.
3. Shoot several frames while they watch. Expressions change in a heartbeat, so pick the keeper afterwards.
4. Change what is showing as soon as attention drifts.
5. Stop while it is still fun, then let them see the photo. Kids love checking the picture, and it can buy you another round.

Quick checklist

• Soft window light, lens at the child's height.
• Two or three cover-screen ideas ready: a photo or video they love, an animation, the mirror.
• iPhone Duo open, camera running, Show on cover screen switched on.
• Shutter around 1/500 s outdoors, no slower than 1/250 s indoors.
• Tap to focus on the eye, check with focus peaking, then AE/AF lock.
• EV up if a bright window is behind them.
• A helper to play while you shoot; switch ideas when attention drifts.
• Short session, several frames, finish on a high.

The short version

An iPhone Duo camera for kids is really an attention plan: a few things ready to show, a fast shutter and a short session. The cover screen gives the child something to look at, and the manual controls keep the picture sharp. The FAQ answers the practical questions.