How to create a 3D photo effect using the new iOS 26 feature

After installing iOS 26, many iPhone users noticed a new small icon in the top-right corner of their photos. This symbol appears on most images — not only those taken on an iPhone — and immediately raises the question of what it means.

Novyny.LIVE explains how this feature works.

How the spatial photo feature works

The hexagon icon in the corner indicates that the photo can be converted into a spatial image. This mode preserves scene depth and creates a soft parallax effect when the phone is tilted. It feels like an evolution of Portrait Mode and Live Photos, but with added dimensionality.

When a user taps the spatial-processing button, the system analyzes the image: it separates the foreground and background, identifies objects, builds a depth map, and breaks the frame into several layers. Because of this, a subtle 3D effect appears during viewing — without any special cameras or displays.

The function is based on multilayer processing already built into modern iPhone cameras. Photos contain several levels of data, including depth information. Neural networks divide the image into planes and scale them so that upper layers slightly overlap the lower ones.

Next, the gyroscope comes into play: when you tilt the phone, the layers shift, producing the sensation that you're looking "behind" the objects. This works best on recent iPhones, especially Pro models with LiDAR, but it’s not limited to them.

Notably, even old photos can be made spatial. Even if an image was taken without a depth sensor, iOS can "reconstruct" depth using AI. The result may be weaker, but the effect is still available for photos from older iPhones or even Android devices.

The quality of the spatial effect varies from photo to photo. It looks best on images with good lighting and a clear foreground — though sometimes random snapshots produce surprisingly good depth.
The feature works on all iPhones starting from iPhone 12. Older models lack the performance needed to generate depth maps and process multilayer images.

To enable spatial mode, open the Photos app, choose a picture, and tap the icon in the top-right corner. iOS will generate a spatial photo, and you can view the effect simply by tilting your phone — the stronger the tilt, the more pronounced the parallax and depth.

Read more:

iOS 26 keyboard glitch frustrates users — here’s what’s wrong

Apple launches iOS 26.1 — smart new features for iPhone users

Apple Music prepares WhatsApp Status sharing feature