iPhone 17 Pro Max camera going blank

Please follow this path,

iPhone > Settings > scroll down > Lock Screen Swipe to Open Camera > toggle the switch off and on and then restart the iPhone. Lastly, set the switch to the desired setting. Many users have found this resolved the issue.

Hi! Did you see this comment? I tried this and (so far) it seems to be working:

Please follow this path,

iPhone > Settings > Camera > scroll down > Lock Screen Swipe to Open Camera > toggle the switch off and on and then restart the iPhone. Lastly, set the switch to the desired setting. Many users have found this resolved the issue.

Hi, this is not Apple Support. Apple and Apple Support do not participate here. Everyone posting and commenting are fellow Apple users, just like you. 

I doubt the issue is a software bug from the symptoms you describe and the progression of the issue. You need to have Apple perform diagnostics on your iPhone. It can be done in person at an Apple Retail Store or at an Apple Authorized Service Provider. You can also contact Apple Support and request remote diagnostics.

If you’re in the US, please call  1-800-MY-APPLE, or outside the US, consult the support articles below. In Canada, call 1-800-263-3394.

Contact Apple for support and service - Apple Support

Genius Bar Reservation and Apple Support Options - Apple

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Official Apple Support

this affects me to on an iPhone 16 plus. I’m starting to suspect this issue is coming from a memory‑management bug in the iOS camera subsystem. The analytics logs show that the small camera extensions used by apps like Walmart Pay, Messages, and other QR/scan utilities are repeatedly getting killed for exceeding their ~170 MB memory limit, even though they’re only doing lightweight camera tasks. That pattern suggests the underlying camera service is slowly leaking or over‑allocating memory over several days of uptime, pushing these extensions over their cap. After enough of those crashes build up, the main camera daemon itself becomes unstable, which lines up with the Camera app freezing or refusing to open. Everything in the logs points to a software‑level issue rather than hardware.

Based on the analytics and the repeatable pattern, this doesn’t behave like a hardware issue. Hardware failures don’t fix themselves for five or six days after a reboot, and they don’t selectively break only after lightweight camera extensions have been repeatedly terminated for hitting a memory cap. A hardware problem would show immediate, persistent symptoms, not a slow buildup over several days, then failure. The behavior lines up far more closely with a software regression introduced in iOS 26.x that affects the camera service over time.

Although I obviously can’t confirm this on my own, the pattern I’m seeing makes me think this may only affect a subset of users rather than everyone on iOS 26.x. The fact that it takes several days of uptime to trigger, combined with how quietly the memory leak builds, could explain why many people never notice it or assume it’s an isolated hardware failure. It also wouldn’t surprise me if this ends up being device‑specific or tied to certain usage patterns, since the analytics show a very particular failure chain that not every user would hit. I’m sharing this in case others with similar symptoms can compare notes.

my setup, iPhone 16 plus , ios26. Issue only occurs inside third‑party camera extensions (QR scanners, barcode scanners, Messages inline camera), never in the primary Camera app, until after the bug triggers

i’ll post later if I find out more. I submitted a bug report a few weeks ago to Apple. But at this point, i’m waiting on Apple engineers to fix this with a firmware update. But based on the last couple updates, and this problem persisting, I won’t keep my fingers crossed.

I have an iPhone 17 Pro Max. Purchased in November. I am on ios 26.2. Yes, I have contacted Apple support. They ran diagnostics and told me it's a hardware issue. "Camera sensors are failing on front and back". His only solution was taking it to an Apple Store for repair. I travel and don't have the 3 days to be without it. Also, the location where I will be for two weeks doesn't have an Apple store and I need it for my work (Small town).

I asked him for another solution. He suggested getting another device until I could get this one to Apple.. I said not an option, what else...ie., replacing the phone since it's less than 2 months old. No help there. Not his department. He said he could give me Apple Care's phone number and see what they said. I told him I had my insurance thru Verizon. He says then I have to go to the store where I purchased it and get it replaced there. (which is 750 miles away). "So I have to pay a deductible to have new phone replaced with a refurbished one after only 2 months?" "Sorry I couldn't be more help".

I'm not too happy with this "solution". All the other comments seem to indicate not a Hardware issue. I thought my camera was fine until the ios 26.1 update. But...the update was almost immediately after I purchased my phone (which came with ios 26 installed).

So...sounds like a brush off by Apple to me. I asked if he'd received numerous calls with the same complaint, based on the community responses. He said "no, not really...maybe one a while ago."

Suggestions? Comments?

If you have insurance through Verizon you can take your device to any Verizon corporate store. It does not have to be the Verizon store you purchased at. You can contact Verizon by phone to see if they have any other options that would work for you. Your Apple warranty gives you other options, but those don’t seem to work well for you. If you’re within 60 days you can still purchase Apple Care which would give you an express replacement option. An Apple Retail Store manager may be able to offer additional solutions, but you’d have to drop the item off at a store.

Is your wife using the native Apple Camera app or a third party camera app such as Zoom, WhatsApp, etc.?

What iOS version is she using?

I have had same issue since ios26.1. I am now on ios26.2 and hoped the bug would have been addressed…but, no. In fact, now i have black screen on FaceTime (my face is blacked out but I can see the other person). Rebooting has stopped working.

I've tried the above suggestion..and I was able to get front facing, but it will not switch to selfie mode. Goes black when I leave camera mode and try to go back in.

I got this iPhone 17PM because the camera is supposed to be the BEST yet… and I can't even use it! Hello APPLE… what gives???

The same thing is happening to me. Same exact issue. I have the iPhone 17 Pro Max, iOS 26.1. I open the camera. It works for a second and then goes black, or grey. I have to reboot the phone every time it happens. Really annoying!

I am also having this issue it works a few times the I go to use the camera and then it will work for a second and then goes blurry.. or black… same for front and back.. I have to reboot the phone.. it’s so annoying.. it’s strange though because FaceTime works…

facing same issue. Mine is 17 pro, ios - 26.01. and needs rebooting everyday to fix it

how do we raise this issue. This snag needs to be addressed soon