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iPhone 13 Pro camera not focusing on subject but on background

I’m noticing that when I touch the screen to get it to focus on a certain point it will adjust focus and I can see it get that point in focus, but then it will settle in/lock onto a different spot in the frame - meaning the point I touched is blurry… I can fill +75% of the screen with the subject or the depth/distance I want in focus, and it will still settle to focus on a small section away from the center of the screen… Distance from subject, .5/1/3 lens, hand held, setting the camera down/tripod, and nothing effects where it ends up focusing…


Someone mentioned turning off the lens correction but I haven’t seen a difference after doing that… No screen protector, Apple case, no magnets, updated and battery fully charged… I’m comparing photos of the same plant, taken in the same location, various lighting conditions (pot lights, halogen, incandescent, a mix), and nothing seems to effect the focusing…


Comparing the iPhone 13 Pro photos to my iPhone 8 and while the iPhone 8 doesn’t produce as crisp an image (comparing in focus to in focus), it focused on what I wanted it to and did so quickly… The length of time it takes the 13 Pro to focus is long enough that it’s noticeable and effects me being able to take pictures as I go about my day… I can’t just point, touch focus, and click… I need to stop, try and get it to focus, and find a way to keep the camera still - handholding it just adds more time to how long it takes to focus…


I can’t believe it’s this bad and I am sure I’m doing something wrong or missing a trick… It’s been a week and I didn’t expect this much of a learning curve… I’m not excited about the learning curve I’m going to go through when I start playing with Portrait, Cinema, video, etc LOL I’ve watched a bunch of videos and don’t see others having this same issue… Is anyone else experiencing this, or does anyone have an idea about what might be causing the problem? Fingers crossed it’s just user error…

Posted on Oct 4, 2021 11:48 AM

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Posted on Oct 8, 2021 3:22 PM

No way. This is not a problem just she’s having. I have a 13 pro max and am having the same problem along with numerous other camera issues. Apple needs to do something — and fast. This is truly unacceptable.

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95 replies

Oct 8, 2021 4:02 PM in response to Bryan_K1

Thanks - appreciate that it doesn’t look like I’ve missed trying something or adjusting an obvious setting. It seems more and more people are posting about the issue, and that it has to do with the camera automatically switching back and forth to macro (there’s no override or option to turn that off), and if you take a photo mid-switch before the camera has refocused, then the photo obviously won’t be in focus.


The fact that the switch back and forth to macro changes the framing so much is incredibly annoying and also probably adding to it. Thee ‘why is what I set up as the focal point of my image now blurry, out of position, halfway obscured, etc, when I had it how I wanted when I pressed the shutter’ is maddening. Wonder if Apple Care covers damage caused by hurling ones iPhone 13 Pro across the room…?

Oct 8, 2021 4:30 PM in response to daisy_emm

Seems this is related to the auto switching back and forth to macro that the phone does. It’s choosing to switch/autofocus on what it thinks I want to be in focus and between when I’ve framed my shot and pressed the shutter it’s decided to switch to macro (or back), and I’m getting photo during that refocusing or after it’s reframed and focused on something other than what I had set the shot up to be. Fun.


[Edited by Moderator]

Oct 15, 2021 3:20 PM in response to daisy_emm

I’m having the same issue. Just tried to take a picture of a serial number on my Oculus Quest 2 and it wouldn’t focus on it. I’d tap the screen and it would still not focus. I’ve been having this issue, and it seems the phone doesn’t know which camera to use when I’m taking photos. I’ve seen it shutter and change while trying to take photos.

Nov 20, 2021 2:23 PM in response to daisy_emm

I'm having this problem too. Sometimes I open my camera and nothing is in focus. Tap to focus doesn't seem to bring anything back into focus. So I have to point my phone to something else so it can focus on that and then move it back and it does this weird pop-back-into-focus thing, but even sometimes that method doesn't work! Quite disappointing for a flagship phone. Very disappointing for my first iPhone too.



Nov 25, 2021 4:51 AM in response to Short_cakeT

What auto button? The only place I’ve seen where I can control it switching to macro is in Settings - second highlight from Apple screenshot.


Apple says - first highlight, that the camera switching while “maintaining framing”. But it doesn’t on my phone (and for a lot of the other people commenting here). Does your camera maintain the framing you chose when it switches back and forth to macro?

Dec 7, 2021 11:36 PM in response to Lildol1234

Still december and i have the same issue since i bought the phone… im recording with 1x camera and if i move the phone its like it switches to the stupid macro…. It cant barely focus a complete video… If i use the wide angle or the 3x camera it doesnt happen… probably the most annoying stuuf in this iphone for sure!

here you have a screenshot of the same video, the difference between both screenshots is 1secs aprox, you also have the video line below so you can see they are from the same video

Oct 5, 2021 11:42 AM in response to daisy_emm

Hello daisy_emm,


We understand that you're having trouble with the camera focus on your new iPhone.


Based on your description and the steps that you've already tried, you'll want to reach out to Apple Support directly so they can look in to this with you and confirm everything is working as expected.


You can reach out to them here: Get Support


Take care!

Oct 8, 2021 4:10 PM in response to sshine2

Thanks - starting to see more and more that’s written about the issues with the camera and most /a lot of what I’ve seen posted says that it’s to do with the automatic switching back and forth to macro that the phone does. Apparently there will be an update to address it - I’ve read everything from the option to turn off macro completely, to chose/turn off the automatic switching and have it be a sort of editing option, AF lock also locking the auto switching, etc. Agreed it’s super annoying and really confused how it wasn’t noticed by anyone before the release how disruptive it is - it’s not just an annoying to professional photogs type thing. The reframing that happens, and how that completely changes the composition of a photo - sometimes to the point of the detail you were trying to photograph being obscured by something else, is insane.


Hoping that there’ll be an update similar to the flash (auto, on, off), - feel like that would solve the issues I’m seeing anyways.

Oct 17, 2021 1:37 AM in response to sshine2

I’ve been avoiding trying to figure out and adjust settings and just hoping the update fixes most of not all of the problems. A camera that reframes your shots (and no way to turn off that feature), and an autofocus that overrides my AF lock are irritating. The amount of time between when I click to take the photo and when the camera decides which lens and what it’s going to focus on is long enough - longer than any other phone I’ve tried, that I’m missing shots. It’s great that video will track and keep a subject in focus but the camera is slow to the point that an in focus snapshot of our dogs is a rarity.

iPhone 13 Pro camera not focusing on subject but on background

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