If you’re like most people, your iPhone is probably the one and only device you use for taking photos. Gone are the days when you needed a separate digital camera for your photography activities. Today, the sophisticated cameras built into the latest iPhone models let you take stunning, high-quality pictures, even if you’re not a very experienced photographer.
This means that it’s all the more frustrating to find that the photos you’re taking on your iPhone are coming out blurry, or that the camera is having trouble focusing even before you press the shutter. If you’re dealing with this issue, there may be a number of different things causing the problem.
There are also a number of troubleshooting tips you can try to fix the issue. Read on to learn more.
Easy Fixes
If you can’t get your iPhone camera to focus, don’t panic. In all likelihood there’s a perfectly simple explanation. Here are some easy fixes you should try first:
Take off the case. If your iPhone case is slightly too large or doesn’t fit the device properly, it could be getting in the way of the camera lens and/or the flash. Similarly, if you’re using a metallic case (or other metallic attachment) on your iPhone, it’s possible that some magnetism in the metal is affecting the iPhone’s optical stabilization, resulting in blurry photos. In either case, try taking the case off and snapping a few pictures without it to see if that helps.
Clean the camera lens. Unless you’re making a habit of cleaning your iPhone regularly, dirt, dust, or fingerprint smudges may have built up on and around the lens. This could be the reason why your pictures are coming out fuzzy. To clean the lens, wipe the area gently with a soft, dry, microfiber cloth.
Tap the device gently. Another troubleshooting tip for improving camera focus that has worked for some iPhone users is to (very gently!) tap the top of the device several times. The idea behind this is that, from time to time, the camera lens may simply get a bit stuck. The delicate tapping can help shift it back into position.
Photography Tips
It’s also possible that your camera’s focusing problem is somehow related to your photography style or to the way you’re taking pictures, as opposed to any mechanical problems with the camera or the lens. If this is the case, try these photography tips to sharpen up the image:
Set the focus point. Depending on what kind of pictures you’re trying to take, your iPhone camera may not be able to identify which element you want to focus on. To set the focus point for your photo, simply tap on the object in the frame, such as a person’s face, that you want to be in focus. This simple step is especially important if you want the photo to focus on an object that’s off-center or in the background.
Use the AE/AF lock. AE and AF stand for Auto Exposure and Auto Focus, which are two helpful features of the iPhone camera. To use them, press and hold on the object in the frame you want to focus on. This locks the focus on whatever you’ve chosen, so that even if you move the camera around afterwards or something else enters the frame, your camera will keep the focus on your desired object.
Don’t get too close. Blurry pictures may simply be the result of standing too close to whatever you’re trying to photograph. To keep the subject of your picture sharp, make sure to put a reasonable distance between it and your camera. You might need to experiment and adjust your position a few times to get the distance just right.
Software Fixes
As with other iPhone issues, a problem with the camera focus could be caused by a glitch or a bug in the operating software. To correct this, it’s important to make sure you’re using the latest available version of iOS.
Keeping your software up to date is one of the most important ways to ensure that your device is operating just as it should be. If your iPhone isn’t set up to automatically update with each new iOS release, you can do a manual update by going to the Software Update option in your General Settings menu and tapping Download and Install.
Restarting Your Device
A simple restart of your iPhone is always a good troubleshooting tip if something isn’t working properly. Press and hold either the top or side button, or the side button and the volume button, until the Slide to Power Off screen appears on your display. Then simply shut the device down, leave it for a few moments, and power it back up again.