- Apple held acquisition talks with Lux Optics (Halide, Kino, Spectre) in summer 2025 to improve the iPhone 18 Pro’s built-in Camera app.
- The deal fell through. Two months later, Apple recruited Halide co-founder Sebastiaan de With, who joined Apple’s design team in January 2026.
- Lux CEO Ben Sandofsky has filed a lawsuit accusing de With of misusing $150,000+ in company funds and sharing confidential source code with Apple.
- De With’s lawyers deny all allegations and call the lawsuit retaliatory after he raised concerns about financial irregularities at Lux.
Apple’s ambitions to overhaul the iPhone 18 Pro’s Camera app nearly led to a high-profile acquisition – but instead sparked a bitter legal battle between the co-founders of one of the most respected camera app studios in the iOS ecosystem.
According to a report by The Information, Apple held discussions in summer 2025 to acquire Lux Optics, the company behind the popular iPhone camera apps Halide, Kino, and Spectre. The goal: bolster the built-in Camera app, which Apple reportedly considers a “top priority” heading into the iPhone 18 Pro launch.
Apple Wanted Halide’s Technology for iPhone 18 Pro
During acquisition discussions, Apple employees reportedly told Lux Optics that its intellectual property was a major factor in evaluating the company. The iPhone 18 Pro is expected to “match professional-grade cameras in terms of certain advanced features,” and Apple apparently concluded that the built-in Camera app needed a significant upgrade to keep pace.
Halide has long been a favorite among iPhone photographers for its manual controls, RAW capture, and features like depth-of-field editing. Kino brought professional-grade video recording tools, while Spectre specialized in computational long-exposure photography. Together, they represent some of the most sophisticated camera software available on iOS.
However, Lux Optics reportedly concluded it could secure a better offer from Apple in the future after further app updates. The talks ended without a deal.
Halide Co-Founder Joins Apple’s Design Team
Two months after acquisition talks collapsed, Apple began recruiting Sebastiaan de With, Lux Optics’ co-founder and lead designer. De With announced in January 2026 that he had joined Apple’s design team.
De With was the creative force behind Halide’s award-winning interface design. His move to Apple suggests the company is serious about bringing pro-level camera UX expertise in-house – even if it couldn’t acquire the entire company.
Lawsuit Alleges Financial Misconduct and IP Theft
Before de With’s departure, Lux CEO and co-founder Ben Sandofsky reportedly fired him in December over alleged financial misconduct. Sandofsky has now filed a lawsuit in the California Superior Court of Santa Cruz, accusing de With of:
- Improperly using more than $150,000 in Lux company funds for personal expenses since 2022
- Providing confidential material and source code from Lux to Apple
Apple is not named as a defendant in the case and is not accused of any wrongdoing.
De With’s Legal Team Fires Back
De With’s legal representatives have called the lawsuit “meritless,” denying that he “used, transferred, or disclosed any Lux intellectual property” as part of his role at Apple.
In a notable counter-narrative, de With’s lawyers stated the lawsuit was filed only after de With raised concerns about financial irregularities at Lux and requested access to the company’s financial records. They described the legal action as a “retaliatory response to those efforts and an attempt to avoid scrutiny of that conduct.”
What This Means for iPhone Photographers
Regardless of how the lawsuit plays out, this saga signals a few things for the iPhone photography community:
Apple is investing heavily in the Camera app. The fact that Apple considered acquiring an entire company to improve its built-in camera software shows how seriously it’s taking the photo and video experience on iPhone 18 Pro. Expect meaningful upgrades to manual controls, computational photography, and video tools.
The pro camera app ecosystem could shift. With de With now at Apple, one of the industry’s most talented camera-app designers is working on the default Camera app rather than a third-party alternative. This could narrow the gap between Apple’s stock app and the best manual camera apps available on the App Store.
Halide’s future is uncertain. Lux Optics has lost its co-founder and lead designer. While Sandofsky continues to lead the company, a protracted legal battle could distract from product development at a critical time for the competitive pro camera app market.
For iPhone photographers who rely on third-party camera apps for advanced exposure controls and manual settings, the bigger picture may actually be positive: Apple clearly wants to bring those capabilities into the default experience.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Halide and why did Apple want to buy it?
Halide is a professional camera app for iPhone made by Lux Optics. It offers manual controls, RAW capture, and advanced computational photography features that go beyond Apple’s built-in Camera app. Apple reportedly wanted to acquire Lux Optics to improve the iPhone 18 Pro’s default Camera app with similar pro-grade capabilities.
Will the iPhone 18 Pro Camera app get Halide-like features?
While Apple didn’t complete the acquisition, it did hire Halide’s co-founder and lead designer Sebastiaan de With. His expertise in pro camera UX could influence future Camera app updates, potentially bringing more manual controls and advanced features to the default iPhone camera experience.
Is Halide still available on the App Store?
Yes. Halide, Kino, and Spectre remain available on the App Store. Lux Optics continues to operate under CEO Ben Sandofsky, though the ongoing legal dispute with former co-founder Sebastiaan de With adds uncertainty to the company’s future direction.
Sources and references:
Featured image: Photo by Samuel Angor on Unsplash.
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