Apex Zoom — Support

Last updated: 2026-05-02

Hi. If you're here, something either isn't working or you want to ask a question. Email reaches a real human — usually replied to within 24 hours, weekends slower.

Contact: support@getapexzoom.com

When you email, including the following helps us help you faster:

• Your iPhone model (e.g. iPhone 14 Pro)

• Your iOS version (Settings → General → About → Software Version)

• Apex Zoom version (Settings → Apex Zoom, or the App Store page)

• A short description of what you tried, what happened, and what you expected to happen instead

• A screenshot or screen recording if relevant

We will never ask for your password, your Apple ID credentials, or your photos.

Frequently asked questions

How do I use it?

Open Apex Zoom and grant the camera and Photos permission prompts the first time. The screen is mostly the live camera preview. Pinch with two fingers to zoom, or tap one of the zoom presets (1×, 2×, 5×, 10×, 20×, 40×) above the shutter. Tap the white circle to take a photo. Tap the curved-arrow camera icon to switch between front and back cameras. Photos save automatically to your Photos library — open the Photos app to find them.

What does the AI enhancement do?

When you take a photo at zoom 1.5× or higher, Apex Zoom runs the image through an AI super-resolution model (Real-ESRGAN) to reconstruct sharper detail than digital zoom alone produces. The model lives entirely on your iPhone — there is no server, no upload, no cost per photo. Enhancement adds 1–5 seconds depending on your iPhone model.

Where are my saved photos?

In your iPhone's Photos app. Apex Zoom uses the standard "Add to Photos" iOS API, so photos appear in your camera roll alongside everything else. They sync via iCloud Photos automatically if you have it enabled (we don't touch iCloud — that's iOS).

Why is the enhanced photo smaller than my normal iPhone photos?

The on-device super-resolution model needs to fit in iPhone memory, so we cap the working size at 1536 px on the long edge before running the model — the output is then 3072 px (~7 MP). Native iPhone photos are 12–48 MP. For a digitally-zoomed shot the useful detail in those 12 MP is much less than 7 MP of AI-recovered detail, so the trade is usually worth it. We're working on a future update that lifts this cap.

Why is enhancement so slow on my older iPhone?

The AI inference runs on the Neural Engine. Older Neural Engines are slower:

• iPhone XS / XR / 11 series (A12 / A13 chips): 4–10 seconds per photo

• iPhone 12 / 13 / SE (A14 / A15): 1–4 seconds

• iPhone 14 Pro and newer (A16 / A17 / A18 / A19): under 2 seconds

If you find enhancement too slow, you can avoid it by taking photos at 1.5× zoom or below — those skip the model entirely.

Can I turn the AI enhancement off?

Currently no — enhancement automatically applies above 1.5× zoom. We're considering a toggle in a future update; email us if this matters to you.

Why is the photo blurry / over-smoothed / has weird artifacts?

Real-ESRGAN was trained on natural photos. It works best on landscapes, animals, distant subjects, architecture. It can struggle with:

• Faces at high zoom — sometimes produces an over-smoothed "painterly" look

• Text — the model may invent characters that aren't there

• Synthetic content (screens, logos)

In all cases the original captured pixels are gone — Apex Zoom only saves the enhanced version. If you need the un-enhanced original instead, take the photo at 1.0× or 1.5× zoom and any further crop in Photos will preserve the original quality.

The app says "Camera Access Required."

iOS denied the camera permission. Open Settings → Apex Zoom and turn Camera on. Same for Microphone and Photos if you see permission prompts later.

The app crashes.

Sorry. Email us with:

• iPhone model and iOS version

• What you were doing right before the crash

• A screenshot of any error

If you can reproduce the crash reliably, please describe the steps. We do not collect crash reports automatically (no analytics SDK ships with the app), so your email is the only way we'll hear about it.

Will there be more features?

Possibly. On the roadmap:

• Optional toggle to keep the original photo alongside the enhanced one

• Video recording (mic permission already declared)

• Optical-zoom-aware mode that doesn't enhance at sub-optical-cap zoom

• Higher-resolution enhanced output via tile-streamed processing

We don't promise dates. Email features you want.

How much does it cost? Is there a subscription?

$3.99 USD one-time purchase. No subscription. No in-app purchases. No ads. Once you buy it you own it across all your iPhones / iPads with the same Apple ID, including future versions.

Do you collect my photos / data / location / anything?

No. The app makes zero network requests. See our privacy policy.

How do I get a refund?

App Store refunds are handled by Apple, not by us. Visit reportaproblem.apple.com, find your Apex Zoom purchase, and request a refund. Apple usually approves refunds for paid apps within 14 days of purchase if you contact them with a reason.

What devices are supported?

iPhone running iOS 17.0 or later. That covers iPhone XS, XR, and everything newer (2018 and later). iPad with iPadOS 17 also works but the app is designed for iPhone first.

Can I contact you about a bug bounty / security issue?

Yes. Email support@getapexzoom.com with [security] in the subject. We'll reply within 48 hours