A lot of times, #iPhone7 camera problems are software-related so they’re relatively easy to fix. And since iPhone troubleshooting is a very straightforward affair, the most that a user may need to do is restore the device or wipe it clean. Some serious camera problems can’t be fixed by these generic software solutions though. So, the general rule when it comes to camera troubleshooting is to exhaust all software solutions first. If nothing improves after you’ve restored the software back to their defaults, or after you’ve wiped the phone clean (Erase All Content and Settings), you should contact Apple.
Now, this last option may not sit well with most advanced users, especially those with enough electronic knowledge to allow them to replace components themselves. Well, this blog is not for advanced users at all. And we don’t provide hardware solutions here. If you’re hoping for more in-depth hardware diagnostics and troubleshooting tips, try checking other sources.
If you are looking for solutions to your own #iOS issue, 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.
Below are specific topics we’re bringing for you today:
Problem 1: iPhone 7 rear camera and flash not working
My front camera works perfect but my back camera turns black and my back flashlight won’t work & when I FaceTime my front camera is upside down I already tried restarting it but it still doesn’t work. — Gisselle Gonzalez
Solution: Hi Gisselle. Unless you are one unlucky owner of an inherently defective iPhone 7 straight from the factory, or if the most recent iOS update (iOS 11) is poorly coded that it prevents back camera and flash from working normally, the only other reason that we can’t think of behind your problem is hardware damage. Was your iPhone dropped or exposed to water? If yes, we suggest that you stop whatever you’re doing and simply contact Apple to have the phone repaired. There’s no amount of software modification or tweaks that you can do to fix the problem. In other words, the broken camera can’t by fixed by, say, restoring the phone’s software back to stock.
If, however, your phone was never physically impacted or exposed to elements, restoring the phone may help. If you haven’t tried that, follow these steps:
- Connect your iPhone to your computer with the cable that came with your phone.
- We assume you remember your phone’s passcode so simply enter it when you’re prompted for it.
- Select your iPhone once iTunes asks you for the specific device.
- Once you’re in the Summary panel or screen, select the option that will restore your device (Restore).
- Confirm by clicking on Restore button.
- Wait for a few moments while iTunes restores your device to its factory settings. It may also take some time if iTunes will need to install an updated operating system version.
- After this factory reset, all software settings should be restored to their defaults.
Remember, you want to restore your phone as a new device and not from backup. If that won’t fix the problem, send the phone in.
Problem 2: How to minimize blurry and out-of-focus photos in your iPhone 7, camera is blurry and won’t focus
My iPhone 7 plus camera is all shaky and it won’t focus. Every time I want to take a picture, I can’t since it’s all blurry and shaky. I tried my camera on Snapchat and on Facebook and the same thing. When I pull up the camera it make this buzzing sound along with the blurring, shakiness, and not being able to focus. I tired everything from cleaning to restarting it and resetting it and change the chip and taking it to my carrier and nothing works. I wanna see if there is another option before I take it to Apple to check it out. — Natalie
Solution: Hi Natalie. First of all, we want to make it clear, again, that if your phone suffered any hardware damage of any form, there’s a big chance that it is the main reason why your phone’s camera is not working properly. If you intentionally omitted this critical information in your problem description above, simply skip what we’ll say next as there’s nothing that can help you here at all. In fact, you don’t need to do anything at all except to just bring the phone to Apple so they can assess its hardware.
Secondly, the things that we will provide in this section are tips and not absolution solutions for improving an iPhone 7’s camera performance, especially in eliminating out-of-focus shots. Some of them may work, some may not so it’s up to you if you’ll try them.
Like any other smartphone camera, your iPhone 7 camera is not perfect. When it comes to focusing on subjects, this fact is even more pronounced. Add some little user inexperience and ignorance and the entire camera usage session can easily turn into a nightmare. Hardly a good experience for such an expensive gadget right? Well, yeah but in most cases, focusing issues is mostly caused by the user more than the limitation of the gadget itself. So here are the ways on how to minimize focusing and/or blurryness issues in your iPhone 7:
Verify that the lens is clean. In some cases, a foggy or dirty lens can be a reason why a camera can’t focus properly, or pictures captured are blurry. Doing this simple maintenance tip can save you from a lot of heartaches. Make sure that you take care of the lens as much as you take care of the phone.
Try to remove the cover if you are using one. Some poorly manufactured cases or covers can sometimes apply uneven pressure on some parts of the phone and at times, even block a portion of the lens altogether. To be on the safe side, consider removing any case or cover and see how the camera works.
Do a soft reset. Sometimes, simple steps can go lengths in terms of providing solutions. Be sure not to skip the simple, yet sometimes important soft reset. This is done by pressing and holding the Power button (located on the top right edge) until “slide to power off” appears, then release. Then, slide the Power switch right and allow several seconds for the device to power off. Now, with the device powered off, press and hold the Power button until the Apple logo appears then release.
Try to lock the focus if you can’t prevent movement. Apple recognizes the fact that not all users are tech savvy or professional photographers so they provide an option to lock the focus. This is a very useful feature if your hand is shaky, or if the subject is moving.
To lock the focus, follow these steps:
- Open the camera app.
- Point to the object you want to photograph.
- Tap and hold on the object in your screen. This will tell the phone to lock the focus on that portion.
- Take the picture.
Reset all settings. If the problem is still happening at this point, you must then try to see what happens if you reset all settings in your device. This will reset all app settings to their defaults and hopefully, it will help fix the camera problem. To do that, follow these steps:
- From the Home screen, go to Settings>General>Reset.
- Tap Reset All Settings.
- If presented, enter the passcode.
- Tap Reset All Settings to confirm.
Wipe the phone clean with factory reset. If resetting all settings won’t work, you can also do a more drastic step called factory reset. Here’s how it’s done:
- Open Settings app.
- Tap General.
- Tap Reset.
- Tap Erase All Content and Settings.
- If prompted, enter your passcode.
- Tap Erase iPhone.
Remember, wiping the phone clean means erasing all user data and customizations. Be sure to back your files up in iTunes and/or iCloud to avoid losing them.
Contact Apple support. Should the issue continue, that means there’s nothing more that you can do on your end. Talk to Apple so they can arrange repair or replacement.
Problem 3: iPhone 7 front camera stopped working after repair
I had my phone recently worked on and when I got it back to check if everything worked, the front camera didn’t work. On regular camera it is black and won’t work but the rear camera works just fine. On Snapchat, every time I try to turn the camera to the front it won’t turn around. I need assistance Andy guidance on how to fix my front camera and what could be wrong with it. — Chelsey Bray
Solution: Hi Chelsey. The technician who repaired your phone must have damaged the camera or its cable connector, causing the front camera to stop working altogether. If you’ve already tried restoring the device as new (steps provided above) before contacting us, you certainly have a hardware issue here. Bring the phone back to the shop who did the repair and this time, make sure to tell them that the front camera has stopped working. Unless you know how to replace the camera yourself, we suggest that you do as suggested. If you want to do the replacement yourself though, kindly look for other websites that can guide you through. Our blog does not do hardware diagnostics and troubleshooting.
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.