Photo of object with bokeh effect

That is then something new on the iPhone XR. With my iPhone X it is working well for any object that is within the correct depth range - not too close and not too far away.

I just checked the user guide - there is unfortunately an excception for the iPhone XR: https://help.apple.com/iphone/12/#/iph263472f78

On models that support Portrait mode, you can apply a depth-of-field effect that keeps your subject sharp while creating a beautifully blurred background. And on models with a TrueDepth camera, you can even take a selfie in Portrait mode.

1. Choose Portrait mode.To take a selfie, tap .
2. Frame your subject in the yellow Portrait box.
3. Tap the Shutter button.

Note: When you use the rear camera on iPhone XR, a person’s face must be detected in the viewfinder to take a Portrait mode photo.

So you will have to use the front camera to take portrait mode field of an animal or a flower pr other objects. What a pity!

The other iPhone models have two rear cameras, so they can use the two cameras to derive a depth field by stereoscopy. Your iPhone XR has a single lens camera. It will use the recognized faces to blur the background.

Set the Camera to Portrait mode, when you take the photo.

https://help.apple.com/iphone/12/#/iph263472f78

Then the camera will record a depth map and blur the background.

The camera will warn you, if you are too close to the object or too far away.

https://help.apple.com/iphone/12/#/iph263472f78

I have not seen any announcement by Apple about this.

Perhaps this feature might be added later, if enough users would request this feature. To compensate for the second lens, that is missing on your model, Apple would have to generalize the face detection to a more general object detection in the camera.app. As it is now, the bokeh effect will be applied to the background around a detected face. An improved software would have to recognize the object in the center of the photos, determine its boundaries and blur the background. Photos does already recognize most objects in an image, but not yet in real time, while the photo is being taken, like the face detection in the camera.