iPhone 11 Pro Camera Lens Cracking

This happened to me this summer... the top camera lens cracked. I called Apple and they were useless, they told me they can’t replace such a small part and the only solution was to replace the whole handset in exchange of £700 (i don’t have apple care).

Of course I said no because this is ridiculous, I didn’t want a new phone I just wanted a new glass camera lens cap which is tiny and shouldn’t be that hard to replace.

In the meantime I stick tape to my camera to prevent dust and damage to the inner lens. I finally found a repair shop that had this tiny part in stock and was willing to replace it for me. Can you guess how much it cost me?

£50 😂

Not ideal but better than not being to use my camera at all. Also my phone was already out of warranty and because it was bought in the US no insurance company other than apple care wanted to insure my phone to begin with. This is just my bad luck...

Now I have a Spigen tempered glass camera protection, it doesn’t look as nice as when it’s without but at least it protects from this stupid thing happening again.

I suggest that you buy replacement lenses covers on the internet. Preferably but the kit with the ones with the 3M adhesive at the back so you don’t have to fuss with any glue, silicon, etc... and the small special tools. You will need a hair dryer or heat gun and thin tweezers to unstick and remove the old shattered lens cover. Ensure all glass fragments are removed by gently tapping the phone upside down on a soft surface as glass leftovers could jam the autofocus. You may also blow dry compressed air too, photographers often use it to remove dust particles.

There are videos which show you how to do the lens cover replacement.

If you intend to get a replacement phone then meantime you may buy one of the sticky lens covers to put on top so that dust does not get into the camera focusing system.

This is up to you but cracked lenses covers can be replaced without replacing the camera or the whole phone. You just have to use some small tools including tweezers and a heat gun or hair dryer similarly to what people use to unstick phones screens. Remove the cracked lens cover, clean off all tape / glue material. Ensure all dust and glass fragments are removed. Then stick the appropriate lens cover.

You can search the internet for the sapphire crystal lenses covers. Some are sold as a kit including tools.

https://www.aliexpress.com/i/32908451777.html

This may invalidate the warranty though...

These lenses covers break so easily because these are so incredibly thin and wide relative to the material thickness...?Rather than replacing these outright, Apple replaces the whole phone for a high premium whilst the 3 lenses cover OEM kit can be found over the internet for about $5... Their replacement is extremely easy for people who can care for details, cleanliness and buy the tool kit _ about $10 _ over the internet together with the lenses covers spares. Videos can be found regarding these lenses covers replacements.

Whilst charging so much $ for such a cheap material & job, it is much cheaper than the screen replacement, Apple is milking it like never before... A pity but that is very much in line with Tim Cook‘s Apple... Unfortunately Steve Jobs is not around anymore...

Best of Luck !!!

So the best to do is to bring it back rapidly to your home country Apple Store / Service Center. People often hang themselves by speaking too much, therefore I suggest that you dont say were you bought it unless they specifically ask you.

Do you have AppleCare+ ? If not then you may as well try to blow as much glass out of the camera then tape it up to avoid dust cacking it. There is an autofocus in there so better to keep it clean.

Some people are selling replacement lenses covers kit for the iPhone 11 Pro. Just check on Google. There are videos showing how to remove shattered glass, clean and replace. Now, self repair, if detectable, may affect the guarantee.

Kept following this discussion for over two weeks now , to see if apple does anything or not and guess what , not surprised at all , as apple takes forever to admit their mistakes and correct them , so finally got my phone replaced two days ago cuz i had apple care on my 11 pro max , asked them if they could change color they said you can only just get the same phone as you had already , no color changes no upgrades no downgrades , cost comes to CAD $129 plus i paid the tax so the total was CAD $135 here in British Columbia . Atleast now i have a proper camera to capture pictures on my vacation.

I called Apple support since most stores are closed to check on this being covered through Apple care. And as of this week, it was. I got my new phone already and there was no co pay since I had Apple Care.

Apple probably hasn't even seen this post, the moderators might've, but not anyone that actually has a hand in the process. If you want to tell Apple, submit a Feedback here - https://www.apple.com/feedback/

From the scratch on the lens aluminium ring and the glass failure mode implies an impact. it seems this phone was either dropped or smashed against a hard surface. Metal does not scratch by itself...

This is a case of accidental damage, there cannot be any doubts about it.

The sad news is I have went to my Apple service provider in my country. They told me that lens coating damage is not covered by Apple 1 year limited warranty. Apple limited warranty just cover hardware and software issue . I will just be happy that this is just the damage for now and not software and hardware. I can no longer go to Japan just to return this and they might no longer give me a replacement for my iPhone. I just wish Apple would improve their quality control more so many will not get phones like mine that has defects in the camera lens glass cover. I know that they make thousands of phone every week so their might be some that have deffects like mine. If you can buy in your home country it is better than to buy overseas because returning the device if it has big or small defects will be easier. Lesson learn that you can voice out or argue in the Apple store when you unbox your phone if you are not satisfied with the product and you still have the option to have a replacement phone. Check very well also your device before leaving the store. I know some people will just be satisfied with their iPhones properly working and ignore if it has some or little defects. I am just very meticolous when it comes to phones. I know lens coating defect will not affect that much of the camera functions and the camera lens still work properly. Maybe it went out of the factory because the quality control person did not see the lens coating damage that much because it will not reflect without strong light and maybe they think it is still okay to be sold because it is not seen without direct light on the lens cover. The lens coating damage will just affect my pictures if strong light is involve. I will just be happy because I have a iPhone 11 PRO Max.

Hope you guys whould just give me encouraging words because I felt down and disappointed because I have OCD and getting a not perfect device really affected me this much. Good vibes and God Bless to all of You!

Hey WishIboughtaSamsung,

Apple is NOT on this forum, so no, they are not listening to posts in this thread. This is strictly user to user and the only Apple employees on this forum are Forum Hosts, who merely monitor posts for violation of terms of use. There are Community Specialists who provide standard "how to" answers to threads not answered after 24 hours.

If you want Apple's attention, visit your Apple Store Genius Bar, use the Contact Support button at the top of this page, or use this feedback link, which will be read by Apple (but not responded to) --> Feedback - iPhone - Apple

JerryRigEverything did scratch the crystal.

Plastic was a 2 or 3, glass was a 5 or a 6 and pure sapphire would be an 8 or a 9 all on Moh's scale of hardness.

While yes there is sapphire on the lens, it's not pure as it scratches like glass, at a level 6.

My camera lens broke just like the one in this first picture. It did not happen due to a drop or anything, I just noticed it one morning. I have the iPhone 11 Pro max. It was the wide view camera and thankfully nothing happened to it. I brought it in to the apple store and they said that because it was on the back, nothing could be done to fix that phone. They wanted to replace the entire phone for $599.

Same, i just got it fixed from another store for 70 and it just tok 30 minutes to Fix! I mean probably not the proper way to do it, but I mean my phone works just fine now so I’m happy!!