In this guide, we show you how to turn off Swipe to Open Camera Gesture on an iPhone running iOS 26.1 or later.
For years, iOS has allowed users to access the camera from the lock screen. You can swipe left on the lock screen to quickly get to the camera and start shooting.
While this was very useful until a few years ago, ever since the introduction of Camera Control, Action button, and the on-screen camera shortcut button on the lock screen, the swipe to open camera gesture has become irrelevant. In IOS 26.1, Apple is finally allowing users to turn this off.
Follow the steps below to disable the Swipe to Open Camera Gesture on iPhones running iOS 26.1 or later.
Turn off Swipe to Open Camera Gesture
- Launch the Settings app.
- Go to the Camera section.
- Here, scroll down until you get to the Lock Screen Swipe to Open Camera toggle.
- Once you get to it, turn this toggle off.
If you never use the swipe and only rely on the Action button or the Camera Control, this setting will clean up your Lock Screen experience.
It’s a small feature, but one that makes a big difference for users who want more control over their iPhone’s behavior.
