As the tech community eagerly anticipates Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2025, speculation abounds regarding the forthcoming features of iOS 19. While major updates are expected, there is a particular enhancement that, though seemingly minor, could significantly improve user experience: the ability to manage High Dynamic Range (HDR) content settings on a per-app basis.
Understanding HDR and Its Evolution in Apple Devices
High Dynamic Range (HDR) technology enhances visual content by expanding the range between the darkest and brightest areas of an image or video. This results in more detailed shadows, highlights, and more accurate colors, providing a more immersive viewing experience.
Apple introduced HDR video playback with the iPhone 8 and iPhone X in 2017, coinciding with the Apple TV’s adoption of the feature. This advancement allowed users to enjoy richer visuals, especially when consuming content specifically mastered for HDR. Streaming services quickly embraced this technology, collaborating with Apple to offer HDR content. Eddy Cue, Apple’s Senior Vice President of Internet Software and Services, highlighted this collaboration during the September 2017 special event:
> To experience 4K with HDR, you also need great content. And we’ve been working with the large Hollywood studios to bring all of their 4K and HDR movie titles to iTunes. (…) In addition to iTunes, we’ve been working with leading streaming providers like Netflix to bring their 4K HDR titles to Apple TV and, later this year, Amazon Prime Video, with all of their 4K HDR titles and originals as well.
The integration of HDR was further solidified with the iPhone 12’s capability to record HDR videos, empowering creators to produce content with enhanced visual fidelity. Platforms like YouTube promptly supported HDR playback, ensuring that users could both create and consume HDR content seamlessly.
The Proliferation of HDR in Social Media
In 2022, Snapchat introduced HDR support, marking a significant shift as social media platforms began to adopt this technology. Today, major platforms such as Instagram and Facebook support HDR content. While this expansion aims to elevate the quality of shared media, it has inadvertently led to inconsistencies in user experience.
Unlike professionally produced content, which is meticulously mastered for HDR, user-generated content often lacks the same level of refinement. As a result, photos and videos shared on social media can appear overly bright or unnatural, detracting from the viewing experience. This issue is compounded by the fact that HDR support is enabled by default, leaving users without the option to disable it within individual apps.
The Need for User-Controlled HDR Settings
To address these challenges, it would be beneficial for Apple to introduce a feature in iOS 19 that allows users to manage HDR settings on a per-app basis. Such functionality would empower users to tailor their viewing experience according to their preferences and the quality of content within each application.
In an ideal scenario, users could navigate to the Settings app and select which applications are permitted to display content in HDR. This granular control would ensure that HDR is utilized where it enhances the experience, such as in streaming services offering professionally mastered content, while being disabled in contexts where it may detract from the visual quality, like in certain social media feeds.
Even if per-app controls are not feasible, a global toggle to enable or disable HDR across all applications would be a welcome addition. This would provide users with a straightforward method to manage HDR content, ensuring a consistent and comfortable viewing experience across their devices.
Conclusion
As Apple continues to refine its operating systems, incorporating user feedback and addressing real-world usage scenarios is crucial. Introducing user-controlled HDR settings in iOS 19 would not only enhance the flexibility and personalization of the user experience but also demonstrate Apple’s commitment to empowering its users with greater control over their devices.
