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Sebastiaan de With, co-founder of Lux, the company behind the iPhone camera app Halide, announced on January 28, 2026, that he had joined Apple’s Design Team. The move is a return to Apple for the designer, whose earlier work included iCloud, MobileMe, and Find My. It does not mean Apple bought Halide: Lux co-founder Ben Sandofsky said the app would continue, while Lux was developing Halide Mark III.
What did Sebastiaan de With announce?
De With wrote on social media that he had “joined the Design Team at Apple.” His announcement, posted January 28, 2026, was reported by TechCrunch and MacRumors. Those reports describe the organization as Apple’s Human Interface Design team. Apple did not publish a detailed job description in the coverage of the announcement.
The announcement confirms his team, not a specific role or assignment. No public information in those reports identifies his title, reporting line, seniority, or the products he will work on.
Who is de With, and what is Halide?
De With is a designer and photographer who co-founded Lux with Ben Sandofsky. Lux makes Halide, a pro-oriented iPhone camera app, as well as photography and video apps including Kino, Spectre, and Orion, according to MacTech.
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He was a principal creative force behind Halide’s interface, but he did not build it alone: the app is a Lux product developed by a team. His design work spans interfaces, typography, and photography. Before co-founding Lux, he worked on Apple projects including iCloud, MobileMe, and Find My, as reported by MacRumors. This is a return to Apple, not his first time working there.
Will Halide continue after his move?
There is no indication in the announcement coverage that Halide was discontinued or acquired by Apple. Sandofsky said Lux would continue Halide and described it as his full-time work. The reporting presents Lux as continuing to operate and develop the app; it does not establish a permanent roadmap or guarantee how the company’s leadership will be structured over time. AppleInsider reported Sandofsky’s comments, as did Macworld.
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What was Halide Mark III?
On the day of de With’s announcement, Lux also made a public preview of Halide Mark III available, according to TechCrunch. Coverage described a focus on photographic “Looks,” including one intended to evoke film-camera aesthetics. AppleInsider reported that the work involved collaborators including The Iconfactory and colorist Cullen Kelly. The January reports establish a public preview, not the app’s current release status.
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De With brings experience designing a photography-focused app for Apple platforms, along with prior familiarity with Apple projects. That background could be useful to Apple’s interface work, including camera-related design, but Apple has not said why it hired him or named a product assignment. It would be speculation to say he will redesign Apple’s Camera app, work on iOS or Liquid Glass, or lead a particular feature.
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The hire also came amid reported changes in Apple’s design organization. MacRumors and TechCrunch placed it in the context of Alan Dye’s reported departure for Meta in late 2025 and John Ternus’s reported expanded oversight of hardware and software design. That context does not establish that de With is replacing Dye or was hired to address a specific product or design problem.
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What remains unknown?
- De With’s exact Apple title, seniority, and reporting structure.
- Whether his work will involve Apple Camera, iOS, Liquid Glass, or another product.
- Whether his Apple employment changes Lux’s ownership or governance. The announcement coverage gives no basis for treating it as an acquisition.
- Halide Mark III’s status after the public preview reported in January 2026.
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