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What Can I Do If The Wide Angle Lens For My iPhone is Blurry?

wide angle lens for iphone blurry

An iPhone’s camera is undoubtedly one of its most striking features, rightfully drawing the attention of both aficionados and the general public alike.

Along with other similar-tier smartphones, it’s literally changed the portrait and macro photography game by allowing anyone to capture fantastic photos without having to rely on conventional, bulky photography equipment.

However, this doesn’t mean that everything is perfect all the time. Issues such as the wide-angle lens for the iPhone being blurry can create poor quality photos and lead to disappointing results.

There can be several factors behind blurriness with the wide-angle lens, and understanding the difference between camera lenses, settings, and when to use them can help to fix the issue.

Just as an example, elements such as standing too closely to the subject or poor indoor lighting can be the reason behind fuzzy photos.

In this article, we’ll take a look at potential reasons why pictures taken with your iPhone’s wide-angle lens are turning out pixelated, as well as provide you with a few helpful troubleshooting tips that can greatly restore your camera to its previous might.

Read on!

Why Is My Wide Angle Lens Blurry On My iPhone?

Why Is My Wide Angle Lens Blurry On My iPhone

All models from the iPhone 11 onwards have come equipped with a wide-angle lens, allowing users to capture amazing landscape shots. It also allows a wide area to be caught in the frame, even when there is not a lot of room to back up.

However, there have been situations wherein pictures captured using the very same lens end up blurry and do not meet the high-quality standards that are expected.

There are several possible reasons behind out-of-focus photos taken with the wide-angle lens, such as:

Bad Lighting

Bad Lighting

For a well-composed picture, good lighting is essential.

Apart from the iPhone SE 2 and SE 3, all models post-iPhone 11 have a wide-angle lens that is compatible with Night Mode.

Theoretically, this allows users to take good pictures in low-light situations as well. Unfortunately, the feature has known limitations.

It’s been established that if the lighting is still too poor or if you are standing too closely to the object in question, the resulting picture can turn out significantly blurred.

Automatic Switching Between Wide And Ultra Wide Angle Lens

If you are lucky enough to own either the iPhone 13 Pro or 13 Pro Max, you’ll know all about the advantages of using the Macro Control photography feature.

When the camera detects a subject 5.5 inches away from the screen, it will automatically bring the subject closer and change the focus.

While this is typically a very useful feature, it can also be brought about inadvertently if something passes right in front of the lens when you are trying to capture a wide view.

The problem is that the transition from wide to ultra-wide lens happens automatically. So, unless you refocus the camera manually after it has happened, the pictures will become blurry!

Software Or Handset Issue

Outdated software or pending updates can also be the reason behind an iPhone’s wide-angle lens becoming blurry.

Apple releases updates periodically to address any bugs that may be present in the current version and to improve phone functionality.

When there are pending updates specifically concerning the Camera function, it’s not uncommon to experience temporary issues such as blurry pictures.

Damaged hardware can also be the culprit.

For example, did you recently drop your phone or get it wet? Are the camera lenses damaged in any way?

If so, it’s conceivable that this is what is causing the fuzziness issues, and it would be best to take your phone to an Apple-authorized service center ASAP.

 How Do I Fix Wide Angle Lens Blurriness On My iPhone?

_How Do I Fix Wide Angle Lens Blurriness On My iPhone

Now that we have gone through a few of the most likely reasons behind your iPhone taking blurry pictures on its wide-angle lens, let’s take a look at how to potentially resolve them!

Understand How To Use Wide Angle Mode Properly

Your phone will have two to three camera lenses depending on the model. They are:

  • The Wide-angle lens,
  • Ultra wide-angle lens, and
  • Telephoto lens.

The wide and ultra-wide-angle lenses let you fit a larger view in the frame, while the telephoto lens uses optical zoom to close in on the subject of your interest.

If you want to capture an expansive scene, choose the ultra-wide lens instead of just backing up with a wide-angle lens.

You can easily switch between lenses by clicking on the circles just above the shutter icon.

Also always ensure that you are not standing too close to the subject. Instead, stand at a comfortable distance and allow the camera to focus on the complete view.

Turn ‘Macro Control’ On

Turn ‘Macro Control’ On

If using iPhone 13 Pro or Pro Max, you can have control over the Macro mode.

  • Go to Settings > Camera > Macro Control.
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A flower icon will appear in the camera app when you toggle this feature. You can then tap on the flower icon to manually turn the macro on or off as per your preferences.

With this feature toggled off, the lens can automatically switch to Macro mode when an object comes closer to the lens.

If you want the macro settings to stay as default every time you open the camera app:

  • Go to Settings then Camera tap on Preserve Settings and toggle the Macro Control feature.
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Power Off And Back On

Rebooting your device can help to resolve the problem of blurry photos if it is a fairly new issue.

It is possible that there may be background processes that are running and eating up memory. As a result, the phone’s cache may be full, resulting in degraded functioning of the Camera app.

Power off your iPhone by pressing and holding the side and volume buttons until the option to do so pops up on the screen.

Once your phone is shut down, wait for a minute or so before you power it back on.

Rebooting your phone completely closes all previously open apps, cleans up the cache, and plugs any memory leaks.

Once the device is back on and functioning (and excluding any other issues), the pictures you take should become sharp once more!

Get The Phone Checked Out

If adjusting the camera settings and rebooting the device does not work for you, it would be best to get the phone examined by a professional.

As a final check before you do so, always make sure that your phone’s OS is up to date and that you do not have any pending updates.

An Apple-authorized service provider will be able to help you out in situations where you aren’t able to resolve the problem yourself.

They will check the phone for any software or hardware issues, and depending on the cause you may even receive repairs same-day!

In case the phone needs any major repair or replacement, you will be able to leave the phone in their care and will be notified as soon as it is ready to be picked up.

In Summary

Cameras are the selling point for many smartphones today (such as the Google Pixel series).

With nothing but their trusty mobile device, people are able to capture anything and everything from overseas vacations to entire weddings.

Therefore, encountering the issue of a blurry wide-angle lens on your iPhone can be understandably frustrating.

Bad lighting, incorrect camera settings, an outdated operating system, or hardware issues can all be potential factors behind blurry pictures.

Some quick fixes to keep in mind include:

  • Avoiding standing too close to the object when taking the picture;
  • Learning how and when to use the wide and ultra-wide lens. Ensure that you have Macro Control on, so you can manually adjust focus; and
  • Keeping your phone software up-to-date in case of security and performance issues.

If those troubleshooting tips do not help, the next best course of action would be to have your phone checked by a technician at an Apple-certified repair and service center. Best of luck!

Apple has been the dominant pioneer of the mobile tech world for the past two decades. Learn more about what makes their iPhone an icon not just in the present day, but for the ages to come as well!

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