Owners of the newly released iPhone 17 Pro are discovering that their ability to take high-quality photographs in dim or low-light environments has become noticeably more limited than it was on several previous generations of Apple’s smartphones. According to Apple’s own official guidance, these constraints stem from the removal of a once-popular feature: the ability to activate Night mode while shooting in Portrait mode. This omission means that when users attempt to capture a portrait with the signature artistic depth-of-field effect—the one that elegantly separates the subject from the softly blurred background—they can no longer rely on Night mode to improve illumination and refine detail under challenging lighting conditions. The documentation on Apple’s support website, which was cited by 9to5Mac, makes this change unambiguous. It provides a detailed breakdown of which specific iPhone models are compatible with the various implementations of Night mode, and there, conspicuously absent, are the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max under the Portrait mode section.
While the iPhone 17 Pro continues to include Night mode across other photographic options—such as the standard Photo mode, front-facing selfies, and even time-lapse video capture—the exclusion in Portrait mode stands out as an unusually restrictive decision. For users who had grown accustomed to the seamless blending of Night mode’s sophisticated computational imaging capabilities with the creative control of Portrait mode, this limitation can feel like a step backward. On forums like Reddit, early adopters noted this absence as early as the previous month, expressing confusion and disappointment when they realized the option was no longer available. Likewise, technology journalists have observed the change firsthand. The Verge’s Tom Warren, for instance, confirmed that Night mode is indeed missing from Portrait mode on his iPhone 17 Pro, initially assuming it might have been a temporary software glitch rather than a deliberate design choice.
At present, Apple has not issued any official explanation clarifying the technical or strategic reasoning behind the removal, nor has it provided any indication of whether the company plans to restore the functionality in a future software update. Requests for comment have been made, though no response has yet been shared publicly. For now, users of the iPhone 17 Pro must adapt their photography practices accordingly. They can still achieve illuminated nighttime captures in other modes, but enthusiasts who prefer Portrait mode’s delicate balance of sharp subject focus against a beautifully diffused background will undoubtedly perceive the absence of Night mode as a reduction in creative versatility. Consequently, low-light portrait photography on Apple’s flagship model now feels somewhat diminished in comparison to older devices, representing an unexpected and potentially disappointing change for those invested in the company’s tradition of continuous imaging innovation.
Sourse: https://www.theverge.com/news/838002/apple-iphone-17-pro-night-portrait-mode-removed
