Camera and Flashlight not working after iOS 17.3.1 update

So the camera facing me works ok but, the outward facing camera has a blank screen and no flash. If I continually try to de-zoom and get it to 0.5X, it takes a picture with a wild looking rainbow color across half the picture. Still no flash either. I use my phone to document lots of things at work. I might finally go Android if this is not resolved. My iphone 14 has never been dropped or damaged. It was the morning after the 17.3.1 overnight update when I noticed the camera and flash stopped working.

Please help us out Apple. It’s not just me having this issue.

The same has happened to me! I’ve tried every fix I’ve found and nothing. I have found my camera and flash

works if I zoom to 0.5, but otherwise the main camera will not work. The selfie camera works! The torch is not working either.

Apple has not released anything about this issue but so many are posting about it!

I keep checking for a new update.

I hope someone replies to this post with a fix that works.

In addition to these things (back camera and flashlight), when I take a picture with the camera at .5 zoom level, there is a rainbow-like smear on each photo.

I am having the exact same issues; camera and flashlight not working on my iPhone 12 since iOS 17 update. Super frustrating.

Same issue on iPhone 12. Updated to iOS 17.4 but the problem persists.

Exact same issue, took it to the Genius Bar who confirmed my phone had no visual damage. However they are suggesting that the camera module was somehow broken before the software update and this new update has simply flagged the issue…. how could this possibly be true if all camera and flashlight features worked perfectly before the update?

They want £200 to replace the telephoto camera module. Absolutely ridiculous.

There was nothing wrong at all with the camera module before the update, they even gave me a written report which confirms the update has caused these issues but are refusing to repair it.

It is unacceptable that Apple can push software updates which removes features of a device which they advertised when they sold me the device. It’s a breach of consumer rights legislation.

I’m having the same issue. I’ve had it in the past too the. It seem d to fix on future updates. Very annoying for someone who relies on their camera for work. 😡

I’m having exact same issue. No damage to phone and camera only works on 0.5x and can get the flash to work when it’s on that setting too, but if I go to 1x or try and use flashlight on its own I get a blank screen. Again looks like this happened after the 17.4 update

very annoying and can’t beleive Apple aren’t doing anything to fix this problem

I have this problem, I took my phone into Apple and they tried to charge me £170 for an issue that Apple caused with IOs 17, wonder if this is how Apple get people to buy new phones!

An update: My phone is under warranty. I took it in and they didn't replace the phone, but replaced the module in the top corner that has then camera lenses in it, which is also where the flashlight is. Works now. Thats the only solution.

That’s worrying, I fear Apple have no intention of fixing this known issue. Their iPhone 15 mid cycle sales must’ve needed a boost…

I agree I am so tired of either unable to update due to storage issues even when I delete practically everything to update software storage shows too full then when I can update something doesn’t work. In this case it is my flashlight which only works if I use my flash with camera and camera only works now on 0.5 magnification and that too days to figure out. Prior to this I was told I needed to pay to fix the phone or replace it but clearly the flashlight works it’s the flashlight icon that is not working

Thanks for posting. YES my phone is doing this as well. Front facing camera only works at .5 zoom level.

Because I had AppleCare coverage on my iPhone, I called support on May 20th and spent 45 minutes on a call with a senior support advisor. She ran another remote diagnostic on my iPhone which showed no hardware defects of any kind, even though the front camera problem and the color artifacts in my photos were constant. She recommended that I just replace my phone with a new 14 Plus. I did that (my new phone arrived on May 23). I updated the new iPhone to iOS 17.5.1 and then transferred all apps and data to the new phone (the front camera on the new phone worked perfectly from the start and was not affected by the software update).

Then, on a whim, and before wiping all data from my old iPhone 14 Plus (which I had purchased new in late Nov. 2023), I accepted the prompt and updated by old iPhone to iOS 17.5.1. That software update instantly cured my front camera problem and the photo artifacts problem.

There has been a lot of media coverage about how iOS 17.5.1 has cured the problem of "deleted" photos being resurrected on users' phones. I have seen no publicity at all about how 17.5.1 also cures the "black screen" front camera problem, at least on some iPhones.

If 17.5.1 was released within the last couple of days, the Apple software engineers must have been working on this release for a while. The $64,000 question is: Why didn't the software engineers inform front-line Apple support personnel (on the hardware side) about how 17.5.1 was going to fix the front camera and photo artifacts problem? I could have saved myself several hours of time this week by just waiting for and installing iOS 17.5.1, without replacing my phone.

Question: If you set your camera zoom to .5 - can you take a photo? And if so, is the photo messed up at all?