A legal tussle between the co-founders of Lux Optics, developer of the Halide camera app, revealed that Apple was close to acquiring the company. As first reported InformationIn the summer of 2025, Apple negotiated the acquisition of Lux Optics, which also developed the Kino, Spectre, and Orion apps.
according to InformationThe deal ultimately fell through in September of that year, but the potential acquisition could have provided Apple with third-party software to improve its own built-in camera app. Apple is already rumored to be introducing variable aperture in its upcoming iPhone 18 Pro models, so it’s not surprising that the iPhone maker was looking for software with advanced features to match its potentially advanced camera hardware.
Despite Apple’s interest, Lux Optics co-founders, Ben Sandofsky and Sebastian de With, concluded that future updates to Halide could increase the company’s valuation and ended acquisition talks. According to the lawsuit between the co-founders, Sandofsky began investigating De With for alleged misuse of company funds shortly after negotiations with Apple ended. Later, De With was fired from Lux Optics and later joined Apple’s design team. While Halide may remain third-party software for iPhones and iPads, users can still look forward to some software improvements to the built-in camera app, as this is reportedly one of Apple’s priorities.
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