How do I fix the selfie camera of my iPhone 15 Pro Max?

I found a solution to the front camera issue with iPhone 15.

I recently upgraded my iPhone XR to an iPhone 15 pro and I was really excited about it, expecting it to be a lot better than my old XR. However, turns out the iPhone 15 pro is a big disappointment, especially the front camera. You hold your iphone in front of you and everything looks good, you take the picture and...it looks compeltely different from what you just saw on the screen before taking the picture. The picture looks grey, dull, grainy, and way to overprossesed. I honestly like my XR selfies way better than my 15 pro selfies. So I was thinking about returning my 15 pro and keeping my XR. There does not seem to be any real solution to this, I have tried everything (I thought), taking a screen-shot, using burst, editing the photo afterwards as people have suggested, but nothing seems to really work. The good news is I found a solution. So here comes the guide.

1.     You go into settings and search for camera

2.     Search for camera

3.     Choose formats

4.     Click on ProRaW & Resolution Control

5.     It doesn‘t matter if you choose HEIF Max, ProRaw 12 MP or ProRaw Max (up to 48 MP) in Pro Default

6.     Go into the camera app and turn the front camera on

7.     You will se „RAW12“ in the upper right corner, make sure this is on 

8.     Take a photo

9.     Click on the photo 

10.  It says RAW in the upper left corner now and not portrait

11.  Now the photo will still look the same (overprocessed, grey, and grainy)

12.  Now choose edit

13.  And you will see the photo change and become that raw photo you actually took, it will now look like it did on the screen before you took the photo

14.  However you cannot save the photo yet

15.  You have to choose adjust and then choose one of the features (exposure, brightness, saturation) it does not matter which one you choose, then adjust to only 1 

16.  You will not be able to see an adjustment going from 0 to 1

17.  But now you can save the photo 

18.  And there you go, you now have that raw photo you actually took without all that weird processing going on after you take the photo and it will look nearly identical to what you see on the screen before you take the photo (and it looks much more like my iphone XR selfies, just slightly better)

19.  It might not be as sharp, but than can easily be adjusted if you edit the photo

So there you go. I am thinking about keeping my iphone 15 pro now, the back camera is very good. I hope this helps for you too.

(I still think videos taken with the front camera lack some color though, I haven't found a solution to this yet, other than editing).

I have the same issue. Have seen many others report this issue too - this is not advice fault it’s an iPhone 15 issue. I had to speak to a couple of Apple senior tech support people and one admitted it seemed to be a software issue. He’s filed a report and said he would let me know if Apple HQ we’re planning on creating a fix in an iOS update. It’s been 2 weeks and I’m still waiting to hear back.

No still nothing. Everyone having this issue should call Apple support to complain and report the issue so that Apple fix this in their next iOS. At the moment the support team aren’t really aware of it which is strange.

And insist that it isn’t your photo setting or device fault and get put through to the senior tech team.

I had to take a screen grab of what my selfie shot looked like on screen right before taking the image; and then sent that to the first line chat support so they could see the difference.

The selfie shots literally ages me by 10

years 😂

Hi AmarachiN,

We recommend that you try the steps in the link below since the camera on your iPhone is taking dull photos.

If the camera or flash on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch isn't working

To perform the recommended troubleshooting steps via the link above, complete the steps in the section below.

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:

4. 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.

5. 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.

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 recommend the steps above because they will show you what to do if your photos are blurry or the camera screen is black on your iPhone.

If you’re still experiencing the same issue, then we suggest that you check out the link here: Change advanced camera settings on iPhone

If you're still noticing the same issue after trying all of the troubleshooting steps we suggested above, then we recommend that you contact Apple Support directly so that they can work with you to find a solution. You can reach them by clicking here: Apple Support or calling the most local number in your region: Contact Apple for support and service. Thank you for participating in the Apple Support Communities. Cheers!

Hi Johnny,

I have an iPhone 15 Pro and having the same problem with my front camera dullness. I took your advice, contacted Apple Support, did the analytics & diagnostic test, and did a reformat, and the problem still persists.

To the extent, I went to the Apple tech store and the technician did the same test again, the results were all good, but the front camera was still dull, and was told nothing was wrong since the test was all green light.

I'm not sure if these are defects or not, but I really hope Apple will do something about it. Even my 13 Pro was better than this 15 Pro.

Thank you.

Report it to Apple tech support

Can try screenshot the selfie instead, while waiting for the permanent fix

My iPhone 11 camera was far better! I read someone’s comment that if I try taking a selfie by swiping left on the white circle instead of just clicking it on the camera app it doesn’t over enhance the photos. Although this has been working to some extent but my photos look hazy and unstable by clicking with this method and it doesn’t allow me to click live pictures. Apple please please fix this issue in the next update. Please give us an option of turning off Deep Fusion

Finally Perhaps a Solution!! So I took my 15 Pro Max to the Apple Store today and the tech held is 15 Pro Max side by side to mine, took photos, etc. The quality of his phone was night and day better than mine. Apparently the phone settings out of the box are not best conducive to the front facing camera. So he adjusted all of the settings to match his and it got pretty close. I think his might have looked just a tad better for some reason, maybe placebo vision or something.....but mine was 200% better than it was when I took it in. Can I tell you what those settings need to be, no but he adjusted quite a few in the main menu camera settings as well as on the phone as the camera was activated. Tone, etc. I'm not an expert, I bought the phone because I hate cameras and just want to point and shoot. Anyway, perhaps it's something apple can adjust automatically in a future software update, or post ideal front facing camera settings but I'll have to say I can sleep a lot better now. Thanks to the tech at the Apple Store who figured that out!

POSSIBLE SOLUTION - I had the same issue and happened to stop by the apple store to have my sons issue fixed. The tech compared my 15 Pro Max to his and yes, my pictures looked terrible. He said out of the box the overall camera settings are more geared towards the high powered cameras. He adjusted several settings and although I don't think my camera looked as good as his by comparison, they were 1000 percent better! Perhaps apple should post ideal camera settings for front facing camera or any potential settings to adjust if you're having issues with the selfie cam since many people take as many pictures or more with the front camera as they do with the high powered cameras. Could be a software update later down the road to fix for us "non techies".

Experiencing exactly the same issue.

Dark, grainy, unnatural photos from the front camera of the IPhone 15 pro.

It’s so disappointing.

Truly disappointing.

We spent so much money for the latest iPhone model and we finally have a front camera which is worse comparing to many older models.

Even the front camera of the IPhone 8 Plus looks much more natural and aesthetically pleasing .

Apple you need to fix this issue and STOP OVER PROCESS PHOTOS !!!!!

amp1321 wrote:

Please fix the issue it’s not the accessories everyone is having the same issue. We all spent a substantial amount of money and shouldn’t have to go through lengths and multiple steps to take a decent picture.

This is a user-to-user support forum. No one here can fix anything for you. And you didn't pay anyone here any money at all, let alone a substantial amount.

You should start by contacting Apple and having them run diagnostics:

Genius Bar Reservation and Apple Support Options - Apple

I don’t have a solution but hopping on to add my two cents. I ordered the 15 pro (without looking at reviews, silly me) and I had the same issues with the front camera. I went to the Apple Store where the team member suggested that it may have been because of my complexion (I’m a dark skinned woman)…that was a bogus and offensive reasoning for this flaw.

ANYWAY, I returned the phone and downgraded to the 14 Plus it’s much better! (I tested out all the 15’s in the store and they have the same issue so beware)

hope this helps anyone who thinking of buying any of the 15s

This is the worst selfie camera ever. It doesn’t matter how much good lighting I have, my pics come out dark, grainy and I look terrible!! I REGRET buying it!! The lack of response from Apple to address this is appalling.

I noticed this same thing almost immediately after getting the 15 Pro. The back camera is decent but the front camera distorts the quality of the image so badly and creates a horrible photo. I contacted Apple Support and they said they had not heard of this issue. They ran diagnostics on my phone and everything was fine; I told them I really just wanted to bring awareness to the issue and hoped they would be working towards a solution. This is incredibly frustrating.