Old iPhones
Your old iPhone is the new digicam.
Point-and-shoot cameras from the 2000s sell again, and so do old iPhones. An iPhone 6s, 7, 8 or X in a drawer is a better digicam than most, and it can run real film looks.
The digicam is back.
Young photographers want cameras that look like cameras.
In July 2026, NPR asked why old-school digicams are suddenly everywhere. Canon told NPR that sales of its PowerShot point-and-shoot cameras jumped nearly sevenfold from 2022 to 2025. Phones are part of the same trend. Compare and Recycle reported in June 2026 that searches for “buy iPhone 4” had risen 979 percent in a year, and counted more than 347,000 TikTok posts under #digicam.
The appeal is the same each time: smaller sensors, less processing, a flash that flattens the scene, and photos that look like a moment rather than a product shot.
Sources NPR, Old-school digicams are everywhere. Why? (July 15, 2026); Compare and Recycle, iPhone 4 goes viral as retro digicam (updated June 24, 2026); The Phoblographer, The surprising rise of vintage iPhones (August 16, 2025). Checked in October 2026.
Before the iPhone got smart.
Older iPhones merge fewer frames.
The iPhone 6s already had HDR and tone mapping, so it never took a fully untouched photo. But the big multi-frame systems came later: Smart HDR with the iPhone XS in 2018, Night mode and Deep Fusion with the iPhone 11 in 2019. Photos from earlier iPhones show softer detail, real grain in dim light and highlights that clip instead of being pulled back. That is close to what people love about digicams.
There is a practical upside too. Since iOS 10 in 2016, the iPhone 6s, SE and 7 can save true Bayer RAW files, the unprocessed sensor data, as DNG.
| iPhone | Year | Rear camera | Last iOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| iPhone 6s | 2015 | 12 MP, ƒ/2.2 | iOS 15 |
| iPhone SE (1st gen) | 2016 | 12 MP, ƒ/2.2 | iOS 15 |
| iPhone 7 | 2016 | 12 MP, ƒ/1.8, OIS | iOS 15 |
| iPhone 8 | 2017 | 12 MP, ƒ/1.8, OIS | iOS 16 |
| iPhone X | 2017 | Dual 12 MP, ƒ/1.8 + ƒ/2.4 tele, dual OIS | iOS 16 |
Sources Apple Newsroom, iPhone XS (September 12, 2018); Apple Developer, WWDC16 session 501; Apple tech specs for iPhone 6s, SE, 7, 8 and X. Checked in October 2026.
A film camera that fits in a drawer.
IIWII runs on every iPhone from the 6s on.
IIWII is one app for iOS 15 and later. On iOS 15 to 17 it opens in Legacy mode, a lighter build made for the memory of older iPhones. On iOS 18 and later you get the full app.
iOS 15 to 17
Legacy
Every film look, imported .cube LUTs, RAW+, double exposure, the self-timer, Natural Processing, grid and level, tap to focus, swipe for exposure, volume buttons as shutter. A live look preview, still marked experimental.
iOS 18 and later
Full app
Everything in Legacy, plus video, Portrait mode, the Look Manager, Throwback, manual controls, Night mode and 24 or 48 MP capture.
On an iPhone 6s, RAW+ saves a real Bayer DNG at 1× zoom next to the photo with its look. With the Standard look, IIWII saves only the DNG.
Set it up like a camera.
Five minutes, and the old iPhone has one job.
- Update to the last iOS it gets: iOS 15 on the 6s, SE and 7, iOS 16 on the 8 and X. Apple shipped security updates for both as recently as May 2026.
- Check the battery under Settings › Battery › Battery Health. Apple designs these batteries to keep 80 percent of their capacity after 500 full charge cycles. Below that, a battery swap is cheap and worth it.
- Free up storage and turn on airplane mode when you shoot. No notifications, longer battery life.
- Install IIWII, put it in the Dock and pick one look for the day, like a roll of film.
- Turn on RAW+ if you want to edit later. The DNG keeps every bit the sensor saw.
There is a quiet bonus. According to the Global E-waste Monitor 2024, the world produced 62 million tonnes of e-waste in 2022, and only 22.3 percent was documented as recycled. A phone that becomes a camera is one less in that pile.
Sources Apple Support, Apple security releases and iPhone battery and performance; UNITAR, Global E-waste Monitor 2024. Checked in October 2026.
Questions and answers
Which old iPhones can run IIWII?
Every iPhone that runs iOS 15 or later, starting with the iPhone 6s and the first iPhone SE. On iOS 15 to 17, IIWII opens in its Legacy mode. On iOS 18 and later you get the full app.
What is missing in Legacy mode?
Video, Portrait mode, the Look Manager, Throwback, manual controls, Night mode and 24 or 48 MP capture. The film looks, imported LUTs, RAW+, double exposure, the self-timer and Natural Processing are there.
Can an iPhone 6s shoot RAW?
Yes. Since iOS 10, the iPhone 6s, SE and 7 can save Bayer RAW files as DNG from the rear camera. IIWII saves them with RAW+ at 1× zoom.
Is it safe to use an old iPhone?
Use one that still gets security updates, and keep it offline when you can. Apple released updates for iOS 15 and iOS 16 as recently as May 2026.
Try it on your iPhone.
IIWII costs $2 once. No subscription, no account, no ads. Runs on iOS 15 and later.
Apple, iPhone, ProRAW and Apple Log are trademarks of Apple Inc. All other product names are trademarks of their owners. IIWII is not affiliated with or endorsed by them.