Recently, we found that Apple has made changes to the camera shortcut button on the lock screen of iOS18. You can customize the shortcut to use it to open other apps, such as third-party camera apps and other features in the Control Center. But that doesn't mean you lose quick access to the official iPhone camera app in the process.

Now your iPhone actually offers 2 ways to access the camera from your lock screen. The most obvious is the shortcut button, but some people may forget that this is not always there. In the past, the camera could be accessed by swiping the screen - and that feature has been stuck for years.

Try. Lock your iPhone, then swipe from the right side of the screen. Even though the phone is still locked, the camera just opened, right?

According to 9to5Mac, this feature should be stuck in iOS18 as well. This means that remapping lock screen shortcuts is not very easy. After all, the only reason to keep it as a camera shortcut is to make sure you have quick access to the camera app. After upgrading to IOS18, there is no benefit in keeping it mapped to the official camera app.

Honestly, it's pretty surprising that Apple has maintained both shortcuts for a long time. Because it makes sense to have 2 identical functions in such a close location. Thankfully, iOS18 corrects that oversight and offers a little more choice on the lock screen.

Of course, the iPhone16 series has its own Solid—state Capture Bo, which is rumored to be a way to access and control the camera at the push of a button, if you're interested in upgrading later this year, it will give you a brand new way to access your camera.

But if you're stuck on your current iPhone a little longer, at least you can decide whether to have quick access to the camera or other features.