iPhone 15 Pro / Max camera blurry and won't focus

seems like iPhone 15 pro switch different lenses pretty well in the default camera app but other apps using camera functionality does have this support.

For example:

* Open WhatsApp chat and click + and click camera

* Now try moving the phone close to any object it will start blurring.

* I tried Facebook, Snapchat and a few other apps. Problem exists across all these apps.

* try the same with iMessages app and it uses the default camera app and it’s able to focus properly by switching lenses.

Able to focus after disabling Macro control

Settings > Camera > Macro Control and disable it.

@jinal132: yours may be a different problem, worth investigating (again) with an Apple specialist or in-store Genius. In my case (and the OP's, it appears) it is how apps use the camera that has an issue, with only the native Camera app able to do it right--but it takes breathtaking pictures, even ridiculously near close-ups. It takes a noticeable fraction of a second to select the macro lens, but after it does photos looks outstanding.

My work-around is to use the Camera app to take the photo first, then select it in the Photo Library from within the affected apps, but not all of them have that option, incl. the Scan Documents mode in Apple's own Notes. Those that do (e.g., Adobe Scan) offer significantly fewer handy tweaks in that "select an existing photo" as compared to taking a new photo from within the app.

BTW, still no news from Apple Dev...

Found on another post. Turn off camera macro setting. When I first got mine it would focus on close objects. Several updates later it quit and was quite disappointed. Turning off this setting resolved the focus issue. Now I can focus on objects less than inch away.

Hello sparkettaccio,

Thank you for reaching out to Apple Support Communities, and we'll be happy to help in any way we can. We understand you're having issues with your camera being blurry. Try the steps here to see if they resolve the issue: If the camera or flash on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch isn't working - Apple Support

"If your photos are blurry or the camera screen is black, here's what to do.

Remove case, accessory, or film and test

1. Remove any case, accessory, or film that might block the camera or flash or that places a magnet near the camera.
2. Test the camera by trying to take a photo.
3. Test the LED flash:
   1. Try the flashlight in Control Center on your iPhone or Control Center on your iPad. On an iPhone X or later or an iPad, swipe down from the upper-right corner of the screen. On an iPhone 8 or earlier, swipe up from the bottom edge of any screen.
   2. Tap the Flashlight button .

If the flash works only sometimes, open the Camera app and tap the flash button  to choose a different setting. 

A configuration profile, including a Mobile Device Management (MDM) profile, can disable the camera.

Contact Apple Support

If the camera or flash still isn't working properly, contact Apple Support to discuss service options.

If you want to try more steps on your own

If you prefer, here are some more steps you can try on your own if the camera isn't working. You might still need to contact Apple Support after following these steps. 

1. If the photo is blurry, clean the front and back camera lenses with a microfiber cloth. If you see dirt or debris inside the lens, damage to your iPhone near the camera, or if the camera lens appears to be misaligned or blocked, contact Apple Support to discuss service options.
2. If you see motion blur in low-light situations and you use a lens converter, metallic case, or a magnetic lens mount, try removing the accessory.
3. Restart your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.
4. Update your iPhone to the latest version of iOS.
5. Test the camera again by taking a photo. If your device has a front and rear camera, check if one or both aren't working. To switch cameras, tap the rotate button ."

We hope this helps.

Cheers!

While I see the same issue with WhatsApp, I also have the Signal App installed (it's another messaging app, similar to WhatsApp).

You can easily see the difference in the quality of the picture taken.

What's interesting is that in the Signal App, if I position the iPhone far from my driver's license and then move it closer to the object, you can see a "bump" when the iPhone switches lenses. It's like what you see when there's a skip in a video. In WhatsApp, this doesn't happen, so I believe WhatsApp doesn't switch lenses, and the lens it uses can't focus on close objects.

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?

I have the same issue on my iPhone 15 Pro Max. Cannot focus nearby object in WhatsApp and other applications as well. No issue on native camera app. Seems the app is unable to switch to macro mode? .....

Curious whether it is my iphone hardware issue, or a known issue related to app compatibility with the new camera.

From what I’m seeing lately is that the latest update damaged the cameras ability to function. Lots of people are experiencing an error stating the phone is not using a genuine apple part and needs a genuine apple technician to repair the phone. However even the apple 15’s are experiencing the issue. I used the camera for 6 months in real estate with no issues until the latest update. Now the wide angle lens no longer works or is blurry

Nah dude. This is not even answering the problem at hand.

Apps can’t access the new lens switch and so photos are blurry when they have to be taken up close.

Do you use a 3rd party app to take the photos? Like mentioned before, the native app works & in my opinion takes the best pictures ever seen on an iPhone, no matter how far or up close the subject—certainly several orders of magnitude better than iPhone 7 did. If the app you’re using has that option, take photos using the native app & then just import them from your Library.

Same issue here.

When using the camera, u have to use 2x to see things clearly. The 1x camera is good from 6” or further away.

Any app asking me to scan bar codes, drivers license, etc. complains that the article is too far away, or too blurry up close.

I just stumbled upon this issue and the one way to solve this problem or at least be able to scan some codes (QR) on a computer screen is to simply make a snapshot of the code, save it as .png and then enlarge it by viewing it in photo app. That's how I was able to scan the code today. I wish there was a permanent solution to this problem though...

go to settings > camera > turn off lens correction

hope this helps

I don’t have a fix for anyone but I can say I haven’t had any real issues so far scanning items in different apps with the camera. I use one app daily to scan receipts for cash back. I also use the Target app every time I go in the store to scan items I’m buying to check for deals and haven’t had an issue. The only app (so far) I have noticed something odd is the Microsoft Start app that sometimes has a slight delay in the camera lens switching but it does it on its own and it’s pretty quickly (may not even be a full second but you can see the switch occur which is why I said it’s odd). No issue in Facebook for me. Checked SnapChat because I rarely use it. No issues. I don’t use WhatsApp so can’t speak on that. Makes me wonder if it’s an iPhone issue you all are experiencing or an app problem that needs to be addressed with an update by the developer (although I see some have named some of the apps I mentioned as having the issue for them. I assume those saying this have made sure they have the most updated app version as each one I checked or currently use regularly are all updated since I check for updates daily). If you feel like you have done all of the possible troubleshooting on your end including contact Apple Support directly (not just posting on this user forum for peer to peer support) and contacted the app developers about the issues in their app I’m not sure what else you can do other than report the problem to Apple and see if it’s addressed via a future iOS update. But it seems more like an app issue if you aren’t having the issue when using the native camera app