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LiDAR Camera

Which iPhones have LiDAR, and what the app does on yours

Short version: LiDAR sits on the Pro iPhones from the iPhone 12 Pro onward and on iPad Pro models that have the scanner; standard iPhones never get it. The fastest way to check is LiDAR Camera itself: a Normal / LiDAR switch under the row of looks means your device has it.

3 min read · Updated 2026-09-16

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Do all iPhones have LiDAR?

No. Apple puts the LiDAR Scanner only on Pro models: the iPhone 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max and every Pro model since, plus the iPad Pro models that have it. Standard, Plus, mini and SE models never got it.

On the phone itself it's the small black circle beside the camera lenses on the back, usually near the flash. No circle, no LiDAR, simple as that.

Does iPhone use LiDAR for Face ID?

No. Face ID uses the TrueDepth camera on the front, which projects a pattern of infrared dots onto your face. It is a different depth sensor with a much shorter range. LiDAR Camera can use it too: on Face ID devices it offers a front depth view that works in the dark at arm's length.

Does my iPhone have LiDAR? Check in the app

  1. Open LiDAR Camera and allow the camera.
  2. Look under the row of looks above the shutter. A Normal / LiDAR switch means your device has a rear LiDAR Scanner.
  3. No switch, but the app opened on the front camera with TrueDepth Night Vision? Your device has a Face ID depth camera and no LiDAR.
  4. Neither? Your device gets the regular brightened camera, and the Depth Map look is not in the row.

What LiDAR Camera does on each kind of device

Three tiers, detected automatically
Your deviceOpens inDepth viewColour scale ends at
Rear LiDAR Scanner (Pro models)LiDAR mode, Depth Map lookRear, whole room5 m
Face ID, no LiDARFront TrueDepth Night VisionFront, arm's length2 m
No depth sensorNormal cameraNoneNo depth view

Every device gets Normal mode and the looks that work on a regular camera: Night Vision, High Contrast, Phosphor, Arctic, Grayscale, Thermal and Starlight, plus Denoise and Infrared with PRO. Depth Map, Enhance Distant and Edge Detect appear only when there is a depth sensor.

On a LiDAR device you can still reach the front depth view: tap the flip button left of the shutter, and tap Back Camera at the top right to return.

What can iPhone LiDAR be used for?

  • Seeing the layout of a completely dark room as a colour depth picture.
  • Getting a quick distance to whatever is in the centre of the frame (PRO in LiDAR Camera).
  • Faster focus in low light in the Camera app.
  • Augmented reality and room measurements in other apps.

Front depth view vs. rear LiDAR

The front view is built for faces at arm's length. Its good distance band is 0.2 to 2.0 m, while the rear LiDAR's is 0.3 to 4.0 m. The front view is handy for a quick look at a dark desk or bedside; the rear LiDAR is what you want for a room, a garage or a tent.

Standard, Plus, mini and SE iPhones have neither sensor. Neither do older iPhones with a Home button. On those, LiDAR Camera still opens fine on the regular camera: Normal mode, the brightened live view, every look that doesn't need depth, video recording. Just no depth view and no distance readout, and no amount of software fixes that.

Questions and answers

Does the iPhone 12 have LiDAR?
Only the iPhone 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max. The standard iPhone 12 and 12 mini do not.
Do iPads have LiDAR?
Some iPad Pro models do. If the Normal / LiDAR switch appears in LiDAR Camera, yours is one of them.
Can the app add LiDAR to a phone that doesn't have it?
No. Depth needs the hardware. Without it you get the regular brightened camera and, on Face ID devices, the front depth view.

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