Apple adds dirty lens warning in iOS 26 beta

Apple's fifth public beta of iOS 26 introduced a feature called Lens Cleaning Hints that is easy to overlook. When it is enabled, you get a warning when your iPhone's lens needs to be cleaned.

This was reported by CNET.

iOS 26 Beta introduces Lens Cleaning Detection

Your iPhone's camera will alert you when the lens is smudged and prompt you to clean it to improve image quality. This feature ensures that you always get a good picture and is helpful if you let your kids play with your phone and leave smudges all over it.

If the update wasn't automatically enabled after the installation, here's how you can do it yourself:

1. Tap Settings.
2. Tap Camera.
3. Tap the Lens Cleaning Hints toggle near the bottom of the menu.

Note, that the feature is only available on iPhone 15 and later models, so if you have an iPhone 14 Pro, you won't see this option.

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