Apple’s ambitions to enhance the camera capabilities of its iPhone line led to negotiations last year to acquire Lux Optics, the studio behind popular photography applications like Halide, according to reports from The Information. The potential acquisition surfaced following the unexpected departure of Sebastiaan de With, a co-founder and designer at Halide, who joined Apple’s design team in February 2026.
Lux Optics develops a suite of professional-grade camera applications, including Halide, Kino for video recording, Spectre for long-exposure photography, and Orion, which transforms an iPad into an external HDMI display. Apple’s interest in Lux Optics centered on its intellectual property, particularly the manual controls offered within the Halide app, which allow users more precise control over iPhone camera hardware.
A lawsuit filed by co-founder Ben Sandofsky brought Apple’s interest in Lux Optics to light. The suit alleges that Apple sought to accelerate improvements to its built-in camera app, a current priority for the company, by leveraging Halide’s technology. Apple’s forthcoming iPhone 18 Pro is expected to begin approaching the capabilities of professional-grade cameras in certain advanced features.
Negotiations to acquire Halide concluded in September 2025, with both founders agreeing that future updates to Halide could increase the company’s value. Following this, Sandofsky began investigating alleged misuse of company funds by de With, subsequently placing him on leave. De With was later terminated by Lux Optics in December 2025, according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit further claims de With possessed confidential information related to Lux’s future product development and an Apple Design Award received by Lux Optics. The situation at Lux Optics reveals significant trust issues within the company, a concerning development for a well-regarded application. The increasing demand for sophisticated mobile photography highlights the importance of software innovation alongside hardware advancements.
De With’s design talent and market experience were instrumental to Halide’s success, though Lux Optics appeared to be progressing without him prior to his hiring by Apple. Despite the complexities of the legal proceedings, Apple’s desire to enhance its first-party photography tools remains clear. Lux Optics’ existence has been closely tied to the capabilities of iPhone camera hardware.
As Apple continues to integrate more professional features into its cameras, software enhancements become essential. De With’s design skills extend beyond camera software, and observers anticipate seeing the first signs of his influence on iOS 27 potentially at the 2026 Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC).
