How to view normal photos in 3D on iPhone and iPad

Learn how to use the new Spatial Scene feature on your iPhone to view any 2D photo as a 3D image with depth that responds to device motion.

One of the major highlights of Apple’s new iOS 26, iPadOS 26, and visionOS 26 operating systems (currently in beta) is Spatial Scenes, a cool feature that makes regular 2D photos appear more realistic by applying immersive 3D effects. An on-device generative AI algorithm adds depth to regular 2D images you take wtih your iPhone, which allows for subtle motion, creating a realistic 3D view.

You don’t need to create spatial scenes; any image in the Photos app becomes a spatial scene with a tap of a button. Spatial scenes are available on the iPhone 12 and later, but may not work with flat subjects, elements, and backgrounds.

View regular iPhone photos as 3D spatial scenes

1. Go to the Photos app and open a picture there.
2. Hit the spatial scenes button, which is a tiny hexagonal picture icon.
3. The app will take a couple of seconds to work its magic and turn your still 2D picture into a 3D spatial scene. Tilt the device to any sife to test the parallax effect.

One important thing to note is that this effect isn’t added to the photo like your regular edits or annotations. The Photos app creates a spatial scene only for your viewing, and once you exit the app, the effect may disappear. Similarly, when you share such an image on iMessage, WhatsApp, or elsewhere, the normal version of the picture is sent without the 3D effect.

Browsing your Photos library as 3D spatial scenes

If you took a bunch of photos on a recent trip, you may want to view them all as spatial scenes. While Photos won’t let you turn multiple images into spatial scenes all at once, feel free to ollow our workaround steps below.

1. Launch the built-in Photos app and open any image.
2. Tap the spatial scene icon near the top-right corner, resembling a cube. After a few moments, the icon turns blue to indicate that a spatial scene has been created. You can tilt your device to test it, if you like.
3. Swipe left or right to go to the previous or next image and the Photos app will automatically create a spatial scene for each image; no need to manually hit that spatial scene icon each time.

Creating a spatial scene from a 2D image may initially take a couple of seconds to process everything. Spatial scenes are cached in Photos, o re-visiting the same spatial scene in the future should display it instantly without any wait time.

Spatial scenes bring images to life

Spatial scenes are also available as Lock Screen wallpapers, bringing your photos to life with a nice parallax effect between the main subject and the background. The effect reacts depending on how you tilt the device, creating a 3D-like feel.

For similar tips, read our collection of 40 things you can do to supercharge your experience in the Photos app on the iPhone and iPad.

What’s your take on spatial scenes? Is this feature actually useful to you, or do you deem it but a gimmick that you won’t bother with after a few tries? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Source link: https://www.idownloadblog.com/2025/07/25/view-2d-images-3d-spatial-scenes-iphone-ipad-tutorial/