According to one of the Lux Optics co-founders, who’s also the developer behind the Halide camera app, Apple was close to acquiring Lux Optics in an attempt to improve its native Camera app. Lux Optics is also behind the Kino, Spectre and Orion apps.
The deal eventually fell through in September last year. However, the report claims that Apple was pretty close and planned to improve the camera experience in its default Camera app on iPhones.
If you’ve been following the news lately, you’ve probably seen headlines about Apple working on a variable aperture feature for the iPhone 18 Pro this fall. So it’s not surprising that the company was looking for software with advanced features to match the upgraded camera hardware.
The Lux Optics founders eventually decided not to go with the deal since they believed future updates to the Halide camera app could increase the company’s valuation and ended the acquisition talks.
There’s a silver lining to this, though. Even though the acquisition failed, it’s a clear signal that Apple is looking to offer a significant upgrade to the iPhone cameras this year. And, of course, you can still use the Halide app on your iPhone or iPad.