Apple's iOS 15 beta appears to make subtle improvements to photos, by removing green lens flares from outdoor shots (via 9to5Mac). Reddit user Doubleluckstur posted the news to the iOSBeta Subreddit. The Verge was able see the feature in action when testing it with an iPhone 12 Mini running iOS Beta.Many iPhone users are familiar with the green blobs. While taking a photo, it appears that nothing has changed. However, the flare still appears in the viewfinder. The flare is not visible in the final image, though it may be possible to see the flare in some cases. We'll get into that later. The flare appears to be due to all the post-processing done to the image. It also shows up in alternate frames (and less processed) if you use Apples Live Photo.It is not clear which iPhone model the processing takes place on. Reddit users have reported seeing the green dots disappear on their iPhone XS. Another user claims it does not work on their iPhone 8 Plus. 9to5Mac suggests that the feature may only be available on phones with the A12 Bionic processor (examples: the XS and XR). It wouldn't be surprising that the feature is only available for newer phones. Some features of iOS 15, such as Portrait mode for FaceTime or Live Text, have the A12 Bionic required.People tried to track it down and discover its limits. Reddit user DementedAvenger posted images of flares still appearing on top of trees and mesh bug-proof windows screens. He also showed examples of flares that were emitted from the sun instead. I was able to reproduce his tree and get indoor flares (although they are not the same as the green bubble flares that occur so often from the sun).Video is another limitation: I could not find any situations where flares appeared differently in the final video than in the viewfinder. It is not surprising that this feature is photo-only.The functionality we are seeing could change with the next release or disappear altogether, as is the case with beta features. Apple seems to be at least trying to get rid of the green blobs in images, which can sometimes crop up, and this would be a welcome addition to the final iOS 15.
