Throwback Support
Throwback: Old Phone Camera · last updated 20 October 2026
Contact us
Write to throwback.help@icloud.com. If something isn't working, tell us your phone model, your iOS version and which old phone you picked in the app.
How do I pick a different phone?
Tap the phone's name at the top of the camera. On the 2011 and 2012 phones it opens a small Options panel first; tap Phone there. Pick any of the 14 phones from 2007 to 2019. In Expert mode's Basic screen, tap the phone's name at the top too, or swipe sideways across the picture to change the look. In its Advanced screen, pick one under LOOK › PHONE; the phone list, subscription and restore are under SETUP.
What's the difference between Creative and Technical?
Technical follows each phone's own processing, based on lab tests and reviews from the time, without exaggerating it. Creative turns each year's look up so it's unmistakable. Switch with the Creative | Technical buttons near the top of the phone list (in Expert's Advanced screen: LOOK › PROCESSING).
Why do some photos look worse than my phone's normal camera?
That's the point: the early phones had tiny sensors, little processing and a narrow range, so whites burn out and dim rooms get grainy.
How many photos are free?
Your first 4 photos or videos, with any phone and in Expert mode. Taking a 5th, or opening the roll, brings up the "All Phones" subscription screen. It then stays until you subscribe or restore, even if you had free photos left. Reinstalling the app doesn't restart the free photos.
What does All Phones cost?
$4.99 a month or $29.99 a year in the US; the app shows the price in your country. You get every phone, unlimited photos and videos, and the app's roll. Payment is charged to your Apple Account when you confirm. It renews automatically at the same price unless you turn it off at least 24 hours before the end of the current month or year. It isn't shared through Family Sharing. Terms of Use.
How do I cancel or change my plan?
Settings › your name › Subscriptions › Throwback, or tap Manage Subscription in the app's phone list. You keep All Phones until the end of the month or year you've paid for. Photos you've taken stay in your photo library.
Can I get a refund?
Refunds are handled by Apple at reportaproblem.apple.com.
How do I get All Phones back after reinstalling, or on another phone?
Sign in with the same Apple Account, then tap Restore Purchases in the phone list or on the subscription screen. Often it comes back by itself.
My photos aren't in my photo library
Allow Photos access in Settings › Throwback › Photos, and new photos and videos save to your library. Ones taken before that are only in the app's roll, which comes with All Phones. Open one there and use Share › Save Image (or Save Video) to add it to your library.
How do I stop location tags?
Settings › Throwback › Location › Never. Only the phones from 2008 on tag photos, as they did back then. See the Privacy Policy for what happens with the location.
What happens to my photos if I delete the app?
The copies in your photo library stay. The app's own roll, with its albums and edits, is deleted with the app.
Why do the old phones wait between shots?
You switched on Real speed, which waits as long as those phones did. Turn it off in the phone list (in Expert's Advanced screen: SETUP › Real speed). Even with it off, the shutter waits a moment while the last photo is still being developed.