My iphone 4 camera won't focus when taking a picture?

I have the same issue after 5.1 update the camera wont focus.. the front camera looks less blurry but the rear camera looks really bad looks even wors when tapping screen, its def the sofeware update because i tryed doing the same update on another iphone 4 and the camera has the same issue . called apple they said this was the first known issue and advised me to take it to the apple store for repair, but guess what my warranty is up and I refuse to buy another phone when the i5 is about to be released .this only happend after there update ...wish me luck at the store.... I hope someone from apple reads this and actually do something about it..

I have this problem too, i tried very hard to tap it and it made the camera worse

I'm having the same problem...

I habe that problem too, but with iPad New. I guess this is the same camera here like iPhone 4 😢 HELP

I also have the same non-working autofocus on the new retina screen iPad. In my case it appears to be stuck because when doing tap-to-focus the white balance and exposure change as needed but the focus does not "hunt" when focusing on anything new.

It's very irritating since I'm not close to an Apple Store so likely will have to do a mail-in under warranty.

From what I understand the new iPad has the 5MP sensor from the iPhone 4 but the optical components of the iPhone 4S (including autofocus).

I'm also having this very same problem right after I updated the latest software...I've tried all the suggestions eg. tapping or spanking the back of iphone...none of them works 😟 and camera was very useful to me coz Ive been using it to take pics of notes, and lectures......now i can't do that anymore....and i really can't live without a phone for 2 weeks if i sent it to claim...what should i do...

Had the same problem today. Went to apple store, wiped and reinstalled all firmware, reset phone and no change. They gave me a brand new iPhone, not a refurb. Best bet if your still I'm warranty is just to take it in an get a replacement.

i' ve had this problem ever since i got my phone, funny thing is i got the iphone instead of the samsung because of the camera..and then this happens, i still have an almost-warranty from the shop i got it from, but cant return it in my country 🙂 ! yeyy me

My front facing camera got stuck focused at about 2 inches a few days a go. Update to System 5.1 did nothing.. Ater reading these posts a tried several taps to no avail. Then I slammed it down on my desk in disgust. (It is in a silicone Otterbox protector.) That fixed it. Just a flat down, smack and all is well.

My iPhone 4s 32 GB is faulty, it's just 5 days old but I only just noticed that the focus does not work. My wifes iPhone 4s is fine, when I press her 4s screen the screen shows it changing focus, it goes blury for a sec then hers gets nice and sharp. Her working 4s camera makes a very quiet sound from the camera when focusing (put it right on your ear). Note this autofocus sound on the working 4s is not from the speaker, it sounds like a very small motor in the device.

Yet mine 4s does not change focus at all, its like the focus motor is stuck. The faulty 4s camera makes no sound within the device when it tries to autofocus.

The faulty 4s gets very hot if I leave the camera active.

Very disapointed in my iPhone 4s camera as my old iPhone 3 takes better pictures (Yes I still have my iPhone 3 :-)). I will take the 4s back, but I hope its not a long turn arround for repair (as it's <7 days old)...

Slamming my one year old 4 flat on the table now no longer works. It is stuck focuessed at about 2". The phone is out of warranty, so not worth getting fixed. Apparently this involves an actual motor to focus? I hope they get this problem fixed or I will switch to an Android when my Verizon contract renews.

Hey so i sent my phone to get it fixed and it worked :D they said that wiped out the current software and replaced with another one so i guess restored? He said smthg about being able to do that online too but that it takes too much time... Hope this helps although it isnt that detailed

My 6 month old iPhone 4s suddenly began having this problem today. It took great pictures before. After reading the suggestions on this support page, I used the "tap" solution. That is, I smacked the phone flat on a table (semi-hard tap with the phone in the bumper case.) It took a couple of tries, but it worked!

It's clearly a hardware problem with the focus mechanism in the camera. I'm terribly reluctant to "fix" a precision device by pounding on it, but it seemed to work for now. Unfortunately, it doesn't actually fix the bad hardware component, and I suspect the problem will happen again. Are there problems in the Apple supply chain?

Update after one day. My camera went blurry again after less than 24 hours. I "tapped" it again (i.e. bonked it on a table), and now it's working again, probably temporarily. Next stop: Genuis Bar for a replacement.

Im having the same problem with my Iphone4, Took it to a genius and they told me it needed a camera replacement for the back camera. I ordered one and had it installed today and the same problem. Must be a software issue. I will wipe out the newer update and try again.