Why aren't my photos taking up the whole screen?

When I take a picture with the front camera I see the same black bars top and bottom that I do with the rear camera. So yours MUST be zoomed.

Snapchat distorts the image if it was taken with an iPhone. The iPhone screen does not have the same aspect ratio as standard camera aspect ratios, which are 4:3 (35 mm film) and 3:2 (most digital cameras). The iPhone's CCD sensor has a 3:2 aspect ratio. The iPhone screen is 16:9, which is the newest standard for video. But in order to shoot video at 16:9 the iPhone's camera only uses part of the 3:2 CCD sensor, so the resolution of videos on an iPhone is lower than it is for still photos. Video recording uses only 8 of the 12 megapixels that the camera is capable of.

The bottom line is to display a 3:2 still photo on a 16:9 screen requires either stretching the image, or cropping it. Physics rules. The alternative would be to take stills using only 8 MP of the CCD. And the iPhone can do this. Put it in video mode (iPhone 7/7+ only), then take single photos. They will fill the screen, but will be lower resolution than the iPhone is capable of.

Because the aspect ratio of the camera (the ratio of height to width) is not the same as the aspect ratio of the screen. The image would have to be stretched to fit the screen, so it would look distorted.

You don't do it, and if you did you would not like the fact that people's faces were too wide or too long. You can double tap the image to zoom in, but then it will cut off the top and bottom (or left and right for portrait mode). You are dealing with basic laws of physics. The image is a certain height and certain width. The screen is not the same height and width, nor is it in the same proportion as the image.

Camera image proportions: 3264 pixels by 2448 pixels, or 3:4

Screen image proportions: 1334 pixels by 750 pixels, or 3:5.34

So the screen is wider than the image.

It happens to me to and people who say that it will distort the image isn't true because you can do it on snapchat and have the whole screen. But otherwise I don't know I came to this page looks Ng for answers for myself. Hope we find out though :)

I use the camera app and the screen is cut off, but if I take photos using ‘WhatsApp or messenger or other social media apps the camera is full screen like the Samsung phones. They are not distorted so why can’t apple do the same

That's because the top and bottom are cut off (landscape mode) or left and right (portrait mode).

Sounds like you may have zoomed the picture by tapping on it? If you double-tap it should zoom in, and double-tap again and it should zoom out.

Yes, and I'm sure part of the image has been cut off (it is outside of the edges of the screen).

Okay, what are you trying to show me there? Is that picture zoomed in as I asked? Even if you don't know how to double-tap to zoom out, then pinch two fingers together on the screen to zoom out.

Have you tried to zoom pictures? Are the pictures you are referring to all taken with the front or rear camera, or a combination of both?