Why does the iphone camera make me look ugly when the flash is off?

When i take pictures of myself with an iphone without the flash on i look so bad my forehead and nose look bigger my eyebrows and whole face look uneven my under eyes look darker and i don't look anything like i do in the mirror, but if i take a picture w the same face in the same position it looks 10x better. Why is this?

The camera is too close to your face. Have the camera at least 7 feet (2 metres) from your face, and zoom in as necessary. That will mean that somebody else has to hold the camera, since your arms are not that long. That applies to any camera, phone or compact etc.

That question turns up very often, and the answer is always the same - the camera must be distant from your face.

Good lighting will help the shadows under eyes, try daylight from a window that does not have sun coming through it, i.e. Sky light only.

Go stand by a window, where there's plenty of daylight.

The distortion is caused by holding the phone too close at arms length. Give the phone to someone else, and get them to take your photo. Get further away from the camera.

The lens on the phone is creating distortion, Camera makers often include a near fish eye lens which is utterly terrible for selfies, it makes you wonder if they are even aware what people are taking shots of. Like the other responders I suggest using the assistance of a available friend for portraits of yourself with your iphone.