It seems that Apple’s apple is not always sweet for everyone, especially when it comes to acquisition deals that end up in courtrooms rather than photography labs! New reports revealed that Apple had its eyes on acquiring the famous photography app Halide to boost the capabilities of the upcoming iPhone 18 Pro camera, but instead of getting a revolutionary software update, we got a scorching legal drama between the app’s founders.
When negotiations fail and the “mind kidnapping” begins
In the summer of 2025, Apple entered serious talks to acquire Lux Optics, the mastermind behind the professional photography apps Halide, Kino, and Spectre. The goal was clear: Apple wants these technologies to integrate them into the official camera app for iOS. But the startup decided to wait, assuming it might receive a better offer from Apple in the future after releasing some updates.
Halide Mark II - Pro Camera
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However, as is typical of a company that doesn’t accept rejection easily, it seems Apple decided to follow an alternative plan. Just two months after the negotiations stalled, Apple appointed Sebastian de With, co‑founder and lead designer at Lux, to join the design team at Cooperino. As you can imagine, this move did not go unnoticed by his former partner.
Allegations of theft and secret leaks
Now, the professional friendship has turned into a lawsuit in the California Supreme Court. Ben Sandofsky, CEO of Lux, filed a suit against his former partner Sebastian, accusing him of squandering more than $150,000 of company funds on personal expenses since 2022. However, the more serious accusation is that Sebastian supplied Apple with confidential materials and source code related to the company’s apps.
For his part, Sebastian and his legal team categorically deny these allegations, asserting that the lawsuit is “malicious” and came as a retaliatory response after Sebastian raised questions about financial violations within Lux itself. Apple, as usual, was not named as a defendant in the case, but its name echoes in every corner of this legal battle.
iPhone 18 Pro… A truly professional‑level camera?
Why all the hype? The truth is that Apple regards the camera app on the iPhone 18 Pro as a top priority right now. Leaks indicate that the company aims for its upcoming phone to be a genuine rival to cinematic and professional cameras in terms of advanced features. This would require rebuilding the camera app from scratch or augmenting it with features like those found in Halide.
The irony here is that Apple explicitly told the startup during negotiations that intellectual property was the key factor in valuing the company. It appears Apple decided to obtain this IP one way or another, either by acquiring the company outright or by poaching the minds that built it.
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