3 Selfie Smoothing
Do your iPhone XS or XS Max selfies look too good? Apparently, quite a few users who snapped pictures on the new 2018 handsets — including some high-profile YouTubers — thought so.
The so-called “Beautygate” controversy focused on selfies that looked too smooth and glow-y, almost as if a beauty filter had been covertly added without user knowledge or input. But, in fact, it’s actually not a bug or a beauty mode.
Instead, it’s likely a combination of aggressive noise reduction and multiple exposure merging thanks to Smart HDR. You can disable Smart HDR by going to
- Settings
- Camera
- Toggle Smart HDR off.
You may still notice some smoothing, but it’s actually intended behavior.