iPhone 15 Pro Max autofocus issue

I just bought the 15promax. My 11 used to automatically focus close up pictures. However, this one does not. It will not focus a clear close up pictures at all. They all come out blurry.

Hello! My question is with video - my new iPhone 15 pro goes blurry when going close to something while filming. shouldn't it automatically switch cameras while filming? I got this for YouTube where I make videos about houseplants (very niche I know) but I use this all the time, from wider view to close up leaves and it's been so frustrating!! I have to stop recording, go close up to activate the macro flower, then start filming again. this is so much worse than my old iPhone 11 that just would focus on anything! I hope you can help, you sound like you know more than me :) Thank you.

There is a lot of reports of close-up focus issues within Apps. I experience it too.

My iPhone 15 Pro Max doesn't focus closel… - Apple Community.

have to resort to taking photo and then loading that into the app or holding phone a long way away.. not very good but assume app makers need to update their software to manage camera, or Apple needs to update camera defaults.

I'm having this issue as well on 15 Pro Max.

I took some lotto ticket pictures for my pool, and they kept coming out blurry. Same exact photo on 12 Pro comes out perfect focus.

I also noticed I had problems trying Macro pictures. I can actually see autofocus hit the subject perfectly, but then it keeps going and ends up out of focus by a bit.

Also, I have an app that scans said lotto ticket bar codes for winners. It works perfectly on 12 Pro. On 15 Pro Max it fails 9 times out of 10.

I'm reading through google results now to see how I can troubleshoot. I'm not a camera pro so I want to make sure I'm not missing anything. I hope I don't end up having to do a replacement.

My wife's iPhone 15 Pro Max does not focus for photos using the .5x and 1x lens, the 5x lens works correctly. Video doesn't focus for any lens. She has been working with Apple Support to fix the focus problem, with no success. Apple engineering claims it's a software problem and they’re working on it.

This appears to me a hardware problem. I am an electrical engineer with much computer experience. Apple diagnostics doesn't detect the failure. You can see the problem with your eyes, the diagnostic is deficient.  

I have the same iPhone, and mine focuses correctly on each lens. Identical camera's using the same software, where only one fails, is a definite indicator of a hardware failure. 

We have asked Apple to replace her iPhone. By declaring this a software problem, Apple prevents the support team from a costly replacement of failing iPhones. There are a lot of iPhones that have the focus problem.  

Apple is trying to find a software workaround for this hardware problem, but have not succeeded so far.  It's now Christmas season and many Apple customers with the flagship iPhone have a useless camera.

Has anyone found a workaround so my wife can take Christmas photos? Does this problem also occur on other iPhone 15 models?

Very good to know. I have the opposite issue on my 14 Pro Max - on the first phone & the replacement. It will focus incredibly well about 1/2” from subject is very low light on macro, but won’t even try to auto focus on any other lens and won’t focus manually either. Here is the macro and the 1.0 to show how zoomed in the macro is. The 1.0 is not in focus, not sure how much you can see here.

hey, very dull flat photographs with no dimensions/details. They come out blurry & out of focus. I have a call from apple this morning - hopefully to swap it for another phone - if not straight return. Very disappointed. Glad you got sorted!

I’ve tested many times with my old iPhone 13 PM and the current iPhone 15 PM. The left photo taken by iPhone 13 PM having the bokeh effect without fail and the right photo by iPhone 15 PM simply cannot get that effect. TBH I am very disappointed. Fortunately I didn’t sell away the old phone.

YOU sir, have changed my life. This hack is brilliant

I’ve had so many issues with the camera on the IPhone 15 PM & went into a genius today to explore the issues as you’ve described & was told “maybe the phones just not for me” :) thinking of returning - has anyone any wisdom on how to resolve these issues?

I just went into UPDATED my IOS, did a restart and changed settings> CAMERA>PRESERVE SETTINGS and CHANGED / selected a bunch of stuff and it helped out a lot!!!! Including MACRO CONTROL

Yes, I believe we’re having different problems. Mine will focus at less than 1/2” when I’m in macro - something I don’t think it’s supposed to be able to do. Looks cool, but is useless to me. Mine won’t focus when using any other lenses. It just tries to focus on the entire area, doesn’t even focus when I tap on a particular area of the screen. Results are nothing in the photo is sharp. I can only take macro pics 1/2” away if I want sharp photos. I was really hoping this would be fixed with the 15s. I have read these issues may be due to the phototonic engine on the 14 and 15. Friends of mine say theirs works great outdoors but I mostly photograph portraits with natural light indoors. 14 PM has not ever worked for that.