Why Is My Camera Blurry On My iPhone? 5 Common Issues
iPhone cameras are known for having outstanding image quality, so it can be frustrating when your iPhone camera is blurry. An iPhone can be used by professionals and amateurs alike to shoot high-resolution photos and videos. Though it can work great most of the time, it’s not unusual for an iPhone camera to get blurry all of a sudden.
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Why Is My Camera Blurry On My iPhone?
The camera on your iPhone might be blurry due to issues with its focus, zoom, software, lens, or other hardware. Many issues can be quickly resolved by adjusting the focus, zooming out, cleaning the lens, updating software, or restarting the phone. More serious issues may require phone repairs.
Compared to a standalone camera, an iPhone camera will generally have more software interactions that can make it blurry. However, many of the hardware and operational issues that cause blurriness on a standalone camera are similar to those on an iPhone camera.
If your iPhone camera is blurry, you should explore all possible causes for the blurriness before having it repaired. We’ll dig deeper into common reasons an iPhone camera is blurry and provide solutions that might fix them.
Common Reasons An iPhone Camera Is Blurry
The iPhone is widely adored for its high-quality camera, which can shoot striking videos and photos with rich colors and contrast.
Though an iPhone camera is typically easy to use, it can occasionally produce blurry images and videos for no apparent reason.
To diagnose the causes of the blurriness, you need to consider all factors involved in its functionality.
An iPhone camera is connected to multiple components that can affect its functionality.
Unlike a standalone camera, an iPhone camera exists within a phone system that has software and hardware components of its own.
If any phone components don’t function properly, that could negatively alter the way your iPhone camera works.
For instance, your camera might not work well if the iPhone’s power is low, the software is outdated, or has too many apps running.
Since newer iPhones tend to be made with more advanced technologies, you will likely experience fewer problems with them.
When it comes to an iPhone camera being blurry, there are several common problems to consider that are quick and easy to fix.
Focus Issues
If your iPhone camera focuses on something too quickly, it could cause your iPhone camera to lose focus and look blurry.
iPhones have multiple focus features that allow users to set focal points on the screen.
The basic focus feature is autofocus, which automatically sets a focal point based on readings from the camera lens and software.
The autofocus feature may not always detect an ideal focal point, which may cause all or portions of an image to appear blurry.
Another way to adjust focus on an iPhone camera is by using the manual focus feature.
Using manual focus involves adjusting a slider on the iPhone screen that changes the focal point of the camera.
Manual focus can be handy when there are many objects on the screen, which can make it difficult for autofocus to detect the right focal point.
When there are moving objects viewed through the lens, the iPhone camera may not be able to hold steady on one focal point.
If the focal point of the camera constantly changes, the user may see large amounts of blur due to focus shifts.
To prevent focus shifts and blurriness, you can try using the camera’s AE/AF lock to lock the auto exposure and autofocus.
Using the AE/AF lock will be more effective when there is little to no movement in front of your camera.
If an object is in focus with AE/AF lock, it might be out of focus if it moves closer or farther away.
Shooting photos and videos in the dark might also cause focus issues that make your iPhone camera blurry.
Your iPhone camera may have trouble focusing on things when shooting in dimly-lit areas, which could lead to focus shifts and blurriness.
Even if nothing is moving in front of your camera, the darkness could make it hard to detect objects to focus on.
Adjusting settings on your iPhone camera such as ISO, shutter speed, and aperture might help to let in more light so your camera can focus properly.
Zoom Issues
Since an iPhone camera lets you zoom in quickly, it’s easy to zoom in on something too close and cause your camera to be blurry.
Zooming in too quickly can cause rapid focus shifts that make it hard for your camera to adjust.
Though zooming out might also cause your camera to be blurry, the blurry effect tends to occur more when zooming in.
iPhone cameras generally become less steady the farther you zoom out, so you’ll have to put more effort to hold your camera still if you don’t have a stand.
There also tends to be more blurriness from the depth of field when you zoom in, so you should zoom out if there is too much blur when zoomed in.
An expert photographer might be able to use the blur from the depth of field to create artistic effects, but it can be hard for some users to achieve desirable effects without experience.
Software Issues
Your iPhone camera is dependent on multiple software to run efficiently, so you might have a blurry camera if any software is faulty.
Related software such as the iPhone’s operating system, camera app, and effect extensions might not work properly due to heavy memory loads, missing updates, or random glitches.
If any of your software is not up to date, you should update all the software to see if that solves your blurry issues.
Even if your iPhone camera phone is still blurry, your iPhone is generally better off with all its software updated.
If the camera on your iPhone is still blurry after the software updates, you should try closing all open apps and reloading your camera app.
Lens Issues
Your iPhone camera lens is a physical camera part that can easily cause your camera to be blurry.
If your lens is dirty, the debris on your lens may get in the way of the shot and cause your camera to be blurry.
Even if you closely inspect the lens and don’t see any dirt, there may be a layer of debris, grease, or other substance that is clouding up your lens.
It’s a good idea to regularly wipe your lens clean with a soft camera lens cloth.
You should avoid using clothes with harsh fibers that might scratch your iPhone camera lens.
If you use a lens attachment, your camera might be blurry if the lens attachment isn’t properly placed over the lens.
Adjusting or removing the lens attachment might help to reduce or remove any blurriness.
If your camera is totally clean, it’s possible a lens defect can be causing your iPhone camera to be blurry.
Other Hardware Issues
Aside from the lens, your iPhone might have defective parts that are causing the camera to be blurry.
A faulty screen or other display-related parts might prevent you from seeing clear images.
If you don’t have experience with iPhone components, you should take your iPhone to an iPhone service provider to check your phone out.
Fixing or replacing phone components can be expensive, but it might be your only solution if your camera is still blurry if other solutions fail.