Blurry iPhone camera: 5 simple steps to get rid of it

January 6, 2023

Don’t let a blurry iPhone camera ruin your quarantine selfies or Zoom meetings!

guy in a blue suit taking a picture with his iPhone 11 - blurry iPhone camera

iPhone cameras, no matter how advanced they may be, will still not be exempt from defects or issues. In fact, some newer iPhone models have common camera problems.

In recent years, users of models like the iPhone 8, iPhone X, and iPhone XR have reported “smoothened” or blurry cameras. Other users also complained about their cameras having black screens or shaking motion.

So, is your iPhone having an out-of-focus problem? In this post, we’ll provide five tips on how to fix a blurry iPhone camera.

Table of Contents

Blurry iPhone camera: How to fix it

Most of the time, the culprit behind a blurry iPhone camera can either be a hardware or software problem. Should you be worried? Well, a little, but a blurry iPhone camera is still possible to fix. Before you call an Apple service center, try these quick fixes first.

1. Wipe off the lens with a microfiber cloth.

The first quick fix you can do is to wipe your camera lens cover. Don’t even think about using your own finger to wipe it! It could make the lens cover even blurrier—the sweat or dirt from your fingers might seep through it and damage your lens.

Why should you use a microfiber cloth to wipe your blurry iPhone camera?

Microfiber cloth has always been the best choice for wiping camera lenses because it’s highly absorbent. This synthetic fiber will easily collect dust, smudges, stain, or grime. Plus, it won’t leave a scratch on the plastic cover’s surface.

So, if you can find a microfiber cloth nearby, try wiping off your blurry iPhone camera lenses.

Read: What to do if iPhone camera is slow to load or to capture

2. Reboot your iPhone

girl rebooting her iPhone in daylight - blurry iPhone camera — A simple reboot might instantly fix your blurry iPhone camera.

Constantly rebooting an iPhone can help maintain its longevity or health. For example, some IT professionals recommend rebooting your phone to prolong its battery life.

Keeping your phone on for days—without ever switching it off—can be dangerous because some apps on your iPhone may run in the background constantly. If you don’t let your phone breathe, your memory and battery power won’t see the light of day eventually.

Read: Why the camera on your iPhone is black and how to fix it

How does rebooting help a blurry iPhone camera? First, restarting a mobile phone is necessary when you encounter an issue. This can help refresh the device if it’s having problems, which might be causing the blurriness in your camera. So, a good ol’ reboot is a good first step in troubleshooting it.

On the other hand, if your camera app is the problem, then read the next tip.

3. Force-exit your camera app.

Sometimes your other apps are working, but your iSight camera is having problems on its own. It might be going out of focus even if you’re not touching anything.

Now, if you do not want to restart your phone, you can force-quit your camera app instead. Force-closing your camera app might eliminate that weird blurriness. You can also do this if your camera has been lagging.

Read: Why iPhone Photos Are Not Loading And What You Can Do

In older iPhone models, you can tap the home button twice and swipe up the camera app to force-close it. Meanwhile, if you have an iPhone X or a later model, then here’s how to do it:

Swipe up and pause until your running apps appear on the screen.
Swipe right to find your camera app.
Swipe up the app to force-close it.

4. Update your iOS to the latest version.

software update on iPhone — Try updating your iOS and see if it refreshes your native camera app as well.

Have you been putting off updating to the latest iOS version? You could try giving in and updating your iOS. The latest version is iOS 13.6 and it comes with bug fixes and new features that might just help your blurry iPhone camera. A few of those fixes include software keyboard issues, unresponsive apps during an iCloud sync, and WiFi calling issues for iPhone 6 and iPhone SE.

Meanwhile, last June, Apple announced that iOS 14 will be released later anytime between September 14 and 18, 2020. So, in the meantime, you can update your device to iOS 13.6 and see if it fixes your blurry camera.

Here’s how to update your iOS to the latest version:

First, make sure that you’re connected to the internet.
Go to Settings and tap General.
Scroll down and tap “Software Update.”
Tap “Download and Install.”
Type your passcode if necessary.

What to do if you can’t update your iOS

There are also times when you can’t update your iOS to the latest version. Here’s what to do in case of that error:

Updates don’t finish when the internet connection is unstable. So, make sure you’re connected to the internet. Unplug your WiFi and connect again to make sure you have an internet connection on your iPhone. If you still have an error, try using your mobile data or try connecting to a different network.
If your WiFi is okay, check if your storage space is enough for an update. Sometimes, your phone will automatically delete data it can easily download, so you can proceed with the update. This doesn’t include your personal data, by the way. So, if you haven’t started with the update yet, make some space in your storage first.
If your update pauses or doesn’t finish, delete the update and try downloading it again. To do that, go to Settings > General > Storage > Find update in the list of apps > select “Delete Update.” After that, just download the latest update again.

Read: How to fix a freezing iPhone camera

5. Reset your iPhone to factory settings.

Sometimes, messed up settings will also affect how your native camera app works. So, if you tried the four quick fixes above and your camera is still blurry, you could reset your iPhone. That means you will revert your iPhone’s settings to its factory version.

Remember: a factory reset is also called a hard reset. That means you will wipe your device clean. So, before you proceed with a hard reset, make sure to create a backup in your iCloud account.

Read: What happens if you turn off iCloud photos?

Here’s how to reset your iPhone to factory settings:

Open settings.
Tap on General.
Next, scroll down and tap Reset.
Select “Reset all settings.”
Type your passcode.
Confirm to reset your phone.

What if any of those fixes don’t work?

You’ve tried everything, and still… your camera is blurry! What’s the problem?

If you are having a blurry iPhone camera and hearing a weird sound, well, chances are you might have a defective iSight camera. Years ago, Apple had an iSight Replacement Program for owners of iPhone 6 Plus. Apparently, their cameras had a faulty part, which caused blurry photos.

So, it’s possible that your iSight camera might have faulty manufacturing issues. What should you do? If you want to, you can DIY replace your iSight camera. You can buy the replacement camera and the parts online. There are also tutorials on how to do it.

However, we suggest you contact Apple first, especially if you’re still under warranty. You can check their Apple support articles and find out if your issue is still repairable. If you are feeling impatient, you can call any Apple Authorized Service Provider in your area.

Just prepare your iPhone model name and its serial number, which you can find in your settings or in iTunes.

Conclusion

A blurry iPhone camera may or may not be because of a software issue. So, there’s no harm in trying these five quick fixes first. If you successfully “unblurred” your camera, let us know in the comments which quick fix solved it, alright? Good luck!