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Apple's Secret Camera App Buyout Bid Revealed
21 Mar
Summary
- Apple pursued acquiring camera app developer Lux Optics in summer 2025.
- The potential acquisition deal fell through in September 2025.
- A co-founder dispute at Lux Optics followed the collapsed Apple talks.
In the summer of 2025, Apple engaged in acquisition talks with Lux Optics, the developer of popular camera applications such as Halide, Kino, Spectre, and Orion. These discussions, which aimed to enhance Apple's native camera software, ultimately concluded without a deal in September 2025. The failure of this potential acquisition emerged from a legal dispute between Lux Optics' co-founders, Ben Sandofsky and Sebastiaan de With.
Shortly after the Apple talks ended, Sandofsky initiated legal action against de With, citing alleged misuse of company funds. This led to de With's termination from Lux Optics. He subsequently joined Apple's design team. While Lux Optics' apps like Halide are expected to remain third-party offerings for Apple devices, the company is reportedly prioritizing enhancements to its built-in camera application.
