Some #iPhoneX users have reached out to us to ask help for their blurry photos so this post is our response for them. Blurry images can be a product by a software glitch or a hardware malfunction so in this troubleshooting article, we give you the steps that you can try to identify where the problem may lie.
Before we proceed let us remind you that you can contact us by using the link provided at the bottom of this page. When describing your issue, please be as detailed as possible so we can easily pinpoint a relevant solution. If you can, kindly include the exact error messages you are getting to give us an idea where to start. If you have already tried some troubleshooting steps before emailing us, make sure to mention them so we can skip them in our answers.
How to fix iPhone X when its camera is out-of-focus and blurry
Hearing about an iPhone camera taking blurry or out-of-focus photos is not new. In fact, this is not news anymore for support teams like us. If your iphone x is taking blurry or out-of-focus photos, make sure to follow the solutions below.
Fix #1: Clean the lens
One of simplest first things that you can do in this case is to ensure that the lens of your iPhone’s camera is not blocked by grime or dirt. Having some visible dirt on the lens can feed wrong input to the camera causing it to take out of focus photos. When wiping the lens, make sure to use a clean, soft cloth to avoid scratching the clear plastic.
Fix #2: Install updates
Some iPhone X users reported that their camera seemed to have encountered focusing issues right after installing iOS 11.2. Though this was never officially acknowledged by Apple, it’s possible that a certain batch of iPhone 8 or X devices may have these problems. Issues regarding a particular group of iPhones happen all the time since not all iPhones are built in the same one-big factory in China. Not all also have the same quality and type of hardware in them so if a bug is encountered with a particular group, other batches may continue to work seamlessly even though they may be running the same exact iOS version. To see if you’re one of the unlucky few to have this camera issue after an update, be sure install the latest iOS versions once they become available.
Fix #3: Keep it bare
Some people may use camera accessories to enhance their experience but sometimes, these same accessories can be cause for problems. If you’re using any accessory at all, be it an external case, a detachable lens, or anything, make sure to remove them. Just leave your iPhone in its original form by removing additions, then try to see how the camera works. If the issue goes away after doing so, then one of your accessories is problematic.
Fix #4: Force close the camera app
Restarting the camera app has been known to fix minor bugs in older iPhone models in the past. Make sure that you try it on your iPhone X as well. To do that, follow these steps:
- From the Home screen, swipe up and pause.
- Firmly touch and hold the app, then tap the red circle with a horizontal line inside. You can also swipe up to close the app as soon as you see the red circle with a horizontal line inside.
Fix #5: Restart your iPhone X
Restarting a device can sometimes fix bugs so you want to do it on your iPhone X as well. You shoud regularly restart your iPhone to minimize the chances of minor bugs from developing. We don’t know enough about your iPhone’s history to be able to tell what may be causing the problem so anything that might help is worth trying.
To restart your iPhone X:
- Press and hold the Side button and either volume button until the slider appears.
- Drag the slider to turn your iPhone X completely off.*
- After your iPhone X turns off, press and hold the Side button again until you see the Apple logo.
Alternatively, you can also try to force restart your iPhone X by pressing and quickly releasing the Volume Up button. Then, press and quickly release the Volume Down button. Then, press and hold the Side button until you see the Apple logo.
Fix #6: Deal with camera app (delete its data)
- Each and every app in your iPhone uses a set of temporary files called cache in order to work efficiently. Sometimes, this cache may get corrupted causing performance issues and some other problems. Since we’re dealing with the camera app, which is a pre-installed application, you’ll have to offload it. It’s the equivalent of manually clearing the cache in a third party app. Since you can’t clear the cache of a pre-installed app, you’ll have to offload it instead. Here’s how:
Tap Settings from the Home screen. - Tap General.
- Tap iPhone Storage.
- Tap Offload App. Doing so will free up storage and likewise empty cache on your iPhone 8.
Fix #7: Toggle Autofocus lock
The iPhone X camera app is an amazing piece of work that allows you to take excellent photos. It also has several features that you can tweak. One of such features may be able to help you fix your focusing issues. It’s called the Autofocus lock. What you want to do is to simply toggle this feature on an off and see what happens. Here’s how:
- Open the Camera app from the Home screen or Lock screen.
- Tap the screen to select the part of the image you want to expose and focus on.
- To lock exposure and focus, tap and hold the focal point until the AE/AF Lock banner shows up at the top of the screen.
- When you’re all set to take the picture, tap the shutter button.
- Tap anywhere on the screen to unlock the focus and exposure again when not needed.
Fix #8: Reset all settings
Resetting all settings on your iPhone X may sound a bit more extreme but it’s really not. What’s next is. In fact, resetting all your iPhone settings is way less drastic than doing a factory reset (which is the next thing that you want to do). If you haven’t tried it at this time, below are the steps on what you can do:
- Open Settings app.
- Tap General.
- Scroll to and tap Reset.
- Tap to select Reset All Settings.
Fix #9: Factory reset
As mentioned previously, the next good thing to do if resetting all your iPhone settings won’t work, you must try a factory reset. After that, you can then restore your iPhone. Just make sure to back your personal data up before doing it.
To factory reset your iPhone X, follow these steps:
- Open Settings app.
- Tap General.
- Tap Reset.
- Tap Erase All Content and Settings.
- If prompted, enter your passcode.
- Tap Erase iPhone.
After you factory reset your iPhone, make sure to set it up as a new device first. Don’t restore from an old backup as it may contain the code or app that causes the issue in the first place. If your iPhone X continues to take blurry or out-of-focus photos, then you should contact Apple for repair or replacement.
Engage with us
If you happen to have a problem with your own iPhone, let us know about it and we will do our best to post them and their solutions in our upcoming articles. You can use this link to contact us for assistance. We can’t guarantee an answer to every question but rest assured that we will exhaust everything on our end to help you.
Be as detailed as possible when describing your problem to help us diagnose your issue easily. If you can include error messages, popups, attempted troubleshooting steps, and circumstances leading to the problem, that would be very helpful.