Give them something to look at on the iPhone Duo cover screen
While you shoot on the inner screen, the cover screen faces the person in front of the camera. Show them a photo, a video, an animation or themselves.
What the cover screen can show
Photographing a baby, a toddler or a dog often means waving a toy with one hand while the other holds the phone. On iPhone Duo, AnyFront Camera lets the cover screen do that job. While the phone is open and the camera is running, the cover screen faces the person you are photographing, and the app can show:
- 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 people you photograph can see themselves in the frame.
Show a photo on the cover screen while you take the picture
This is the simple case. Pick a photo from your library, show it on the cover screen, and take the picture from the inner screen, with the viewfinder and the manual controls in front of you. The person in front of the camera has something to look at, and you stay on the controls instead of waving a toy.
You can pick a video instead. The animations are there for when you want something that moves, and the live mirror lets the people you photograph see themselves in the frame.
A tip: start with a photo the person already likes, and switch to an animation if their attention drifts.
Need ideas for getting someone to look? These guides are tips, not rules: how to get a baby to look at the camera, how to get a dog or cat to look at the camera and photographing toddlers and kids. If you are the one in front of the camera, see iPhone Duo selfies with the rear cameras.
Choose and switch it from the inner screen
You control the cover screen from the inner screen, where your viewfinder and manual controls are. Open the Cover Screen sheet, switch on Show on cover screen, and pick a tab: Grabbers, Photo, Video or Mirror. You can change what is showing whenever you like, without leaving the camera, so you can try a photo, then an animation, then the mirror in the same session.
When iOS shows the cover screen
iOS decides when the cover screen is available. It is used only while the phone is unfolded, AnyFront Camera is open in front of you and the camera is running. Fold the phone or leave the app and the cover screen switches off. It comes back when you return.
If nothing is showing, check that the phone is open, the camera is running and cover-screen display is switched on in the app. Folded, the iPhone Duo works like a regular phone, and AnyFront Camera runs on the outer display as a normal camera. More answers are in the FAQ, and you can write to support.
What it costs
The camera and all of its manual controls are free on every compatible iPhone. The cover-screen features need an iPhone Duo and are unlocked with a one-time in-app purchase. There is no subscription, and the price varies by country. AnyFront Camera requires iOS 27 or later.
If you bought the unlock before and are setting up a new or reset phone, use Restore Purchases in the app's settings, signed in with the same Apple Account. Refunds are handled by Apple at reportaproblem.apple.com.
The camera underneath
The cover screen is the extra. The camera itself is a full manual camera with ISO, shutter speed, white balance, focus, exposure compensation, histogram, focus peaking and zebras. Everything you shoot is saved to your Photos library, like the built-in camera. See all the features. The app collects nothing: no account, no ads, no analytics. Details are in the privacy policy.