To stop your iPhone selfies from being flipped or mirrored, you need to turn the Mirror Front Camera setting on or off. This setting is located in Settings > Camera > Mirror Front Camera, and toggling it directly controls whether your front-facing camera photos are saved as you see them in the preview or as a non-mirrored version.
How to change the mirror front camera setting on iPhone
The exact steps to find and toggle the Mirror Front Camera setting are straightforward and take only a few seconds. Follow these steps to change how your selfies are saved:
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
- Tap Camera.
- Turn Mirror Front Camera on or off.
When you turn this setting on, your selfies are saved exactly as they appear in the front camera preview, mirrored, like looking in a mirror. When you turn it off, your selfies are saved in the non-mirrored, or inverted, orientation, which is how others see you. This setting only affects photos taken with the front-facing camera; the rear camera is not impacted.
Why your iPhone selfies look inverted
The default behavior of the front-facing camera on iPhone is to mirror your selfies, meaning the image you see in the preview is flipped horizontally. This is a deliberate feature designed to mimic the experience of looking in a mirror, making it feel more natural when framing a shot. It is not a bug or a glitch. When you take a selfie, the iPhone saves the mirrored version by default, which is why the photo you see in your gallery may look inverted compared to the preview you saw. The Mirror Front Camera setting gives you control over this behavior. This issue can affect videos as well as still photos. Orientation Lock can also cause an inverted camera image. Third-party apps may display an inverted preview. In rare cases, a hardware issue, such as a faulty camera module or connectors, can be the cause.
Which iPhone models have this feature
The Mirror Front Camera setting is available on iPhone XS, iPhone XR, and later models. For those older devices, the default mirrored behavior cannot be changed through this specific setting. If you are using an Android device, such as a Google Pixel phone or tablet, a similar setting called "Save selfie as previewed" can be found in the Camera app settings, but this is not applicable to iPhones.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does changing the mirror front camera setting affect the rear camera?
No, the Mirror Front Camera setting only applies to the front-facing camera. The rear camera does not have a mirror option and will always capture images in their natural orientation.
How do I revert the mirror front camera setting back to default?
To revert the setting, simply go back to Settings > Camera and toggle the Mirror Front Camera option to its original position. If you want selfies to be saved mirrored (as they appear in the preview), turn it on. If you want them saved non-mirrored, turn it off.
Can I change this setting while using a third-party camera app?
No, the Mirror Front Camera setting is a system-level setting that applies to the built-in Camera app. Third-party camera apps may have their own settings for mirroring, but they are not controlled by this specific iPhone setting.
Will updating iOS add the mirror front camera setting to older iPhones?
No, the availability of the Mirror Front Camera setting is tied to the hardware of the iPhone model. It is available on iPhone XS, iPhone XR, and later, and updating iOS will not add this feature to older models. Model-specific availability beyond the XS/XR cutoff means this feature is not present on earlier devices like the iPhone X or iPhone 8.
Does this setting affect video recordings or just photos?
The Mirror Front Camera setting is documented for still photos taken with the front-facing camera. It does not apply to video recordings, which are saved in their standard orientation.
For the wider topic, see display and home screen settings.
