Has your iPhone 11 Pro camera being acting up by going blurry or completely blacking out? If so, there’s no need to worry. It is a fairly common problem and in this video, we’ll discuss everything you need to know about the problem.
With three powerful lenses on the back, the iPhone 11 Pro has arguably the best camera in the phone market. And that’s only on the hardware part. The software is also seriously improved with the new ‘Night Mode’, faster image processing, use of multiple lenses simultaneously among other great features. This is what makes the iPhone 11 Pro such an excellent device for both regular day to day photography and professional photographers. So what do you do when this camera starts acting up while capturing a special moment? First, we need to know what’s causing this issue.
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What causes blurriness and blacked out camera on iPhone 11 Pro?
Although this is not a problem specific to the iPhone 11 Pro, it is more prevalent in this devices according to Apple Forums. It occurs when you open the Camera and find that the viewfinder is either blurry (isn’t focused on anything) or just black, like the lens is covered. In some instances, users have found that just a portion of the camera is blurry. Whichever the case, it can be quite annoying when you miss a great moment because of this.
Additionally, the problem may be a hardware or software issue but usually it is caused by a software issue that can be simply resolved by closing the app and reopening it. But sometimes the problem persists.
Using the Apple Community forum, we were able to compile a list of the different methods to get your camera up and running again.
Use the right lens
There are three camera lenses on the back of the iPhone 11 Pro for different types of photos. They include:
- The telephoto lens (ƒ/2.0): This is the additional camera that’s absent in the iPhone 11. It ii designed for portraits and macro photography or close ups. Allows up to 2x optical zoom
- Wide Angle lens (ƒ/1.8): This is the ‘standard’ lens that has been used by IPhone since it came out. It’s great for landscapes, interior and architectural subjects. 1x optical zoom
- Ultra wide angle lens (ƒ/2.4): Allows you to zoom out for wider field of view that isn’t possible with the wide angle lens. It’s great for landscapes. It also makes the subject appear larger than the background.
The first step when experiencing a blurred or blacked out photo is to check what lens you’re using. To do this, open the Camera app and ensure you’re on Photo mode. At the bottom, there are three viewfinders: .5x, 1x, 2x. These are the ultra-wide lens, standard wide angle and telephoto lens respectively. Tapping these zoom options switches between the three lenses and you’ll notice a difference for each one.
Clean the lens
Sometimes the solution is easy as cleaning the lens. Lenses especially on the iPhone 11 Pro are prone to dirt because of how the camera bump protrudes. It’s easy to accidentally rub a sweaty or oily finger against the camera which causes blurriness. Clean the camera using a clean microfiber cloth to wipe off any fingerprints or dirt. Open the Camera viewfinder again and check to see whether it’s now clear. If not, go to the following step.
Remove the phone cover
When you spend big bucks on the iPhone 11 Pro, it’s important that you protect it against the accidents using a phone cover. Over time, the phone cover may get worn out and fail to fit perfect like it did when you first got it. In turn, this causes issues around the camera when loose edges end up partially covering one of the lenses.
On top of this, there are phone cases used to protect your phone from all the elements. Such cases are compact and even have a transparent plastic cover over the lenses. The cover may cause distortion or blurriness that really lower the quality of your images. If this happens, remove the phone cover and take the picture again. If this was the problem, it’s time to consider getting a new phone cover.
Force close all opened apps
If the problem is caused by a software hitch, force closing all the opened apps may resolve the problem. We know that having multiple opened apps for long periods of time is not great for the processing memory. Instead of closing only the Camera app, force close all opened apps before taking the picture again. To force close the apps, take the following steps.
- Unlock your iPhone
- Swipe up from the bottom of the screen and pause momentarily to open multitasking
- Close the opened tasks by swiping up the app previews
- When all apps or tasks are closed, you’ll be taken to the Home Screen
- Open the Camera App
This is one of the most common and most effective fix. However if the problem persists, go to the next step.
Check for pending software updates
Outdated software may be causing your Camera app to act up. We know that Apple releases updates quite often and it’s important to stay updated for the device to work properly. For this step, you will require a working internet connection. To check for updates,
- Go to Settings on your device
- Tap on General
- Go to Software Update and the device will start to automatically check for updates
If you have a pending update, allow the device to download and update to see if the problem is fixed. You could turn Automatic Updates to ‘On’ to avoid missing any updates. Note that to update your device, you will need to plug into power. You may also need to free up some space for the update to download.
Furthermore, recently Apple has been releasing test versions known as betas. Being beta versions, they are usually unstable compared to full version releases. If you’re on a beta software version, consider updating to a tested stable version to resolve any camera issues.
Free up some memory
Apps that haven’t been used for a long time and that take up a lot of space may cause the iPhone 11 Pro to act up. Overall, for devices to work at optimal capacity there needs to be some memory for operation. Free up some memory by deleting large apps and those that you haven’t used for a long time. To do this,
- Go to Settings
- Tap on General
- Go to iPhone Storage
While here, find that apps that consume lots of storage and those that haven’t been used for over a month. By doing this, the other apps such as Camera have some room to work and this may resolve the problem. Another great trick is to activate the ‘Offload Unused Apps’ settings. This setting automatically offloads apps that have not been in use for a month and over. Offloading apps removes apps while still keeping data stored in the app making it a great way to save on storage.
Adjust the camera settings
The iPhone 11 Pro has the ability to fine tune the length of a shot using Digital Zoom. There’s only one issue with digital zoom – poor quality blurry photos. It is recommended that you use the three lenses instead of digital zoom to reduce distortions and blurriness. In addition, while on Night mode, there’s a number to indicate the time taken for the shot to appear. This timer varies depending on the lighting of the environment. To avoid blurry images, make sure you hold the phone still as the timer counts. Alternatively, you can use a tripod stand.
Force restart the iPhone 11 Pro
One of the most effective fixes for this problem is restarting your device. This fixes camera issues by force shutting all opened tasks and apps that may have been causing the glitch on the Camera app. The following steps are used to force restart iPhone 11, 11 Pro and Pro Max.
- Press and quickly release the Volume Up button on the left side of your iPhone.
- Press and quickly release the Volume Down button on the left side of your iPhone
- Then press and hold the Lock/Unlock button on the right side of the device until the ‘Slide to Power Off’ slider appears. Once this slider appears, release the Lock/Unlock button
- Slide the‘ Slide to Power Off’ slider from left to right and the iPhone will automatically restart
Visit the Apple Store for support
As one of the last resorts, consider going to your nearest Apple Store and have the device checked out. Depending on the severity of the issue, your device may be fixed or replaced. If they do replace your device, test the camera before leaving the shop.
Should I factory reset my iPhone 11 Pro?
If you’ve tried all the above fixes to no success, there’s one last solution that may work and that is, factory resetting the device. It’s a step none of us wants to take but may be just what you need to fix the Camera app. A factory reset means you’ll have to wipe your iPhone clean and start a fresh. All images, documents, apps and their data, email accounts and personalization will be deleted.
Before wiping everything though, we recommend that you have an iCloud backup saved to be able to restore all important data. Here’s how to backup.
- Open Settings on your iPhone
- Tap on your name at the top of the page and select iCloud
- Scroll down to Apps using iCloud and select iCloud backup
- Tap on Back Up Now
Once the backup is complete, reset your iPhone to Factory settings.
- Open Settings on your iPhone
- Go to ‘General’
- Scroll down to ‘Reset’
- Tap ‘Erase All Content and Settings’
- Enter the passcode or Apple ID password
- Wait as the device is reset
After reset is complete, you will need to go through first time setup process again. You can also restore the backed up data from iCloud which will put everything back on your iPhone 11 pro. The Camera should be working fine now.
Has any of these fixes worked for you? Be sure to tell us in the comment section below.
