For millions of people, the iPhone is more than just a phone—it’s a daily companion, a creative tool, and, for some, a lifeline to the outside world. Yet as Apple continues to innovate and refine its iconic device, recent developments have sparked both excitement and frustration among users. From the evolution of iPhone photography to troubling alarm glitches and the end of support for beloved older models, the story of the iPhone in late 2025 is one of both dazzling progress and unexpected setbacks.
Back in 2021, the introduction of the iPhone 13 Pro Max marked a turning point for mobile photography. According to Amateur Photographer, the device’s new macro mode allowed users to capture incredibly detailed close-ups—sometimes even by accident. One user recalled, “I tried to capture some wood grain on a bridge. Instead, I accidentally shot a tiny bug I hadn’t even noticed. The new macro mode had kicked in, revealing a minuscule creature staring back at me like I’d interrupted its day.” That surprise encounter—one that might have gone unnoticed with a less capable camera—sparked a fascination with the world at a macro level. Suddenly, everyday objects and textures became magical, and the iPhone was at the heart of this creative discovery.
Since then, Apple has steadily expanded the reach of macro photography. The iPhone 16, with its 12MP ultra-wide camera, brought high-quality close-ups to more users, matching the macro prowess of the earlier Pro Max model. The iPhone 17 took things up another notch with a 48MP ultra-wide lens, delivering “ridiculously detailed close-ups” that left even seasoned photographers gawping at their screens. For many, it was a chance to make up for “never having owned a microscope as a kid”—a playful reminder that technology can open new doors at any age.
But not all of Apple’s recent moves have been met with applause. Enter the iPhone Air, the company’s slimmest phone to date. While its svelte design is undeniably eye-catching, it comes with significant trade-offs. As detailed by Amateur Photographer, the Air’s ultra-thin body leaves little room for a robust battery or advanced camera systems. To compensate, Apple shifted much of the phone’s internal hardware into the camera bump—dubbed the “plateau”—resulting in the loss of features many users have come to expect.
Most notably, the iPhone Air sports only a single camera. While Apple touts a 2x optical zoom, it’s actually just a 12MP crop of a larger 48MP image, not a true telephoto lens. There’s no ultra-wide lens either. For those who’ve grown accustomed to the creative flexibility of multiple cameras, this feels like a step backward. As one long-time iPhone photographer lamented, “Being limited further, to a single standard snapper? That feels like a leap backwards.” The Air, for all its sleekness, risks becoming less a tool for creative exploration and more a symbol of compromise.
Meanwhile, another issue has emerged—one that’s far more disruptive to daily life than a missing camera lens. In December 2025, reports began to surface of iPhone alarms going off silently, leaving users in the lurch at crucial moments. According to Reuters, Brett Chody was one such user. She missed an early morning flight to Chicago after her iPhone alarm went off “but silently.” In a TikTok video that quickly went viral—garnering over 2 million views—Chody recounted waking up to find her phone displaying an active alarm, but making no sound. “It had been going off for 2 hours,” she explained, “but it was dead silent.”
The response was overwhelming. “I would like to make a PSA,” Chody said, warning others about the issue. Her video’s comment section was soon flooded with similar stories: missed exams, missed work shifts, and plenty of frustration. One commenter wrote, “I KNEW I WASN’T CRAZY.” Another added, “My phone does this, it’s so crazy.” Many admitted to setting multiple alarms as a workaround, just to be safe.
So what’s causing this silent alarm epidemic? According to a discussion thread cited by Reuters, the culprit appears to be the Attention Aware Features in Face ID settings. This feature, designed to lower the phone’s volume when it detects a user looking at the screen, can inadvertently silence alarms. As one Apple user put it, “I think the feature turns alarm to silent as soon as I move it or it recognizes my face ID. When I turned the feature off, alarm started working as normal.” For now, the best solution seems to be disabling this setting, but the episode has left many users wary—and more than a few are double-checking their alarms before bed.
For Apple, these alarm woes couldn’t come at a worse time. The company is also facing backlash from owners of the original iPhone SE, a budget-friendly model first released in 2016. As reported by MacRumors, Apple has officially classified the first-generation SE as “obsolete” starting December 2025. Under company policy, devices not sold for over seven years lose eligibility for repairs or service—either from Apple or third-party vendors. For those still clinging to their trusty old SEs, it’s the end of an era, and a nudge toward upgrading whether they like it or not.
All of these developments highlight a tension at the heart of Apple’s approach: the drive to push boundaries and shed the old, versus the risk of leaving loyal users behind or introducing new headaches. The evolution of iPhone photography is a testament to the company’s ability to surprise and delight, offering creative tools that inspire even the most casual users. The shift toward ultra-thin designs and simplified hardware, however, raises real questions about what’s being sacrificed in the name of progress. And the alarm glitch—seemingly a minor technical hiccup—has had outsized consequences for those who rely on their phones to keep life on track.
There’s no denying that the iPhone remains a technological marvel, capable of capturing hidden worlds in a flash or connecting us to loved ones across the globe. But as Apple continues to chart its course into the future, the company will need to balance innovation with reliability—and listen carefully to the voices of those who have made the iPhone a central part of their lives.
