How to fit everyone into a group selfie

By Con, founder of Music Wide Selfie · Updated 22 October 2026

Short answerWiden the front camera, hold the phone higher and further out, put the tallest people at the back and nobody’s face at the very edge, and use a short timer so the person holding the phone can relax.

Set up

Widen the front view first (two-arrow button or landscape).
Raise the phone above eye level and angle it down slightly.
Tallest at the back, faces close together.

Avoid the stretch

Wide lenses stretch the edges. Keep faces a little in from the sides, and don’t put anyone’s face right next to the lens.

Light

Face the light. A window or the sun in front of the group beats a bright sky behind it.

Use a timer

A 3-second timer lets the person holding the phone get their smile right. For bigger groups, prop the phone up and use 10 seconds so everyone can get in.

Questions

What’s the best timer for group selfies?

3 seconds when you’re holding the phone, 10 seconds when it’s propped up and you need to join the group.

Why do people at the edges look wider?

Wide lenses stretch the edges of the frame. Move faces slightly towards the middle.

A camera built for this

Music Wide Selfie is an iPhone camera app in development: the widest front view your iPhone supports, with your music still playing.

One email when the app is ready. Nothing else.