People using the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro MAx have fewer options for clicking photos in low light than older previous generation Pro models.
Apple’s support page says that Portrait shots can’t be taken with Night mode on the iPhone 17 Pro or 17 Pro Max, which means users cannot take bright, blurred-background portraits in low light.
Apple’s support page, highlighted by 9to5Mac, lists every iPhone model that works with Portrait Night mode. The iPhone 17 Pro series is missing entirely from this list.
At the same time, Apple continues to mention support for the feature on older Pro models, including the iPhone 12 Pro, 13 Pro, 14 Pro, 15 Pro and last year’s iPhone 16 Pro lineup.
On the new 17 Pro models, Night mode still works for normal photos, selfies and time-lapse videos, but Portrait mode is the notable exception.
This lines up with what many users had been reporting for weeks. Several iPhone 17 Pro owners on Reddit complained that the Portrait Night mode option never appeared in their camera app, assuming it was a software glitch. Many reviewers and tech experts earlier believed it was a bug.
But Apple’s documentation now makes it clear that the feature simply isn’t available on the 17 Pro series, though the company hasn’t provided any reason for the removal.
The absence of this feature on Apple’s latest flagship means users may not get the same results they were used to on older iPhones, making low-light portrait photography feel like a downgrade.
However, the iPhone 17 Pro still offers powerful Night mode performance across most other camera modes.
But for users who rely on Portrait Night mode for social media, travel or event photography, the missing feature stands out. Unless
Apple brings it back through a future software update, iPhone 17 Pro users will have to compromise on one of the iPhone camera’s most loved low-light tricks.