Sebastiaan de With, co-founder of the popular iPhone camera app Halide, has joined Apple’s Human Interface Design team. The move places a well-known independent designer inside Apple’s core product design group.
In a post shared on Threads, de With confirmed the news and shared his excitement about the role.
“Some big personal news: I’ve joined the Design Team at Apple. So excited to work with the very best team in the world on my favorite products.”
This is not de With’s first time at Apple. Earlier in his career, he worked on major services including iCloud, MobileMe, and the Find My app. Over the years, he has also done design work for companies such as Sony, Mozilla, Oracle, HP, and EA, building a reputation that extends well beyond the Apple ecosystem.
De With is widely respected in Apple and photography circles, largely due to his work on Halide. The app earned praise for its clean interface, thoughtful controls, and deep focus on photography fundamentals. His design approach often emphasizes clarity, restraint, and user intent, qualities that closely align with Apple’s own design philosophy.
Halide Mark III Enters Public Preview
Around the same time as de With’s announcement, Lux, the company behind Halide, launched a public preview of Halide Mark III. The update represents the next major step for the camera app, signaling that the team continues to push forward even as one of its founders takes on a new role at Apple.
Together, these developments highlight a rare moment where independent app design and Apple’s internal design culture intersect more closely than usual.
