New updates are being added at the bottom of this story…….
Original story (published on October 31, 2020) follows:
Several iPhone 12 Pro users have taken to the forums complaining that the device’s camera focus isn’t functioning as intended on objects from a very close range.
Now, the Apple iPhone 12 series was released on October 23, and it comes with a range of exciting new features. One of them is the TOF 3D LiDAR scanner which aids the camera software to understand scenes better.
Could the brand new sensor be the culprit behind the iPhone’s 12 Pro autofocus troubles? We investigate the issue.
Judging by comments on the forum, it seems that the problem is pretty widespread. The iPhone struggles to focus on close-up objects and tapping on the screen to force a manual focus doesn’t seem to work either.
Also noteworthy is that the problem arises only in indoor lighting conditions. Users say that the autofocus functions pretty well in outdoor lighting.
Furthermore, the issue is only present on the Pro variant of the iPhone 12.
In the image above, the iPhone 12 Pro, which is the one on the top, produces an extremely blurry image. On the other hand, the iPhone 12 is the one on the bottom, and it functions as intended.
Given the fact that the iPhone 12 and 12 Pro use exactly the same camera setup, with the exception of the LiDAR scanner on the Pro, it is quite likely that the culprit is the scanner.
The only known workaround for the issue is to use the ProCam app which can be downloaded from here. The app offers a plethora of extra features that are not found on the default camera app.
You can use the app to manually focus and take a close-up shot of any object.
Thus, it can also be concluded that the iPhone 12 Pro does not have a greater minimum focus distance. Rather, the issue is limited to autofocus only.
If the reason for the issue was a greater minimum focus distance, then the ProCam wouldn’t have helped at all.
This issue doesn’t seem to be affecting all the iPhone 12 Pro devices though, as several users have commented that they don’t face any problem as such.
Coming to the iOS version, the issue might’ve been fixed on iOS 14.2 Release Candidate as the following user has reported:
Hence, you may also try your luck by installing the latest beta version of iOS.
You can also check out the demonstration video posted here, just in case you want to compare your situation with others facing the same problem.
It is also worth noting that several users have reported that autofocus issues are not restricted to just close range objects, with several comments saying that the autofocus seems to be less efficient overall when compared to older models like the iPhone 11.
Keep in mind, though, that the iPhone was released just around a week back. Hence, it is quite possible that the software is just a bit around the edges.
However, given Apple’s track record when it comes to fixing bugs, this issue should vanish in no time.
Furthermore, a similar issue was reported by Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra and S20 Ultra users, so your device isn’t the only one with such problems.
That being said, let us know in the comments below if you got any other workarounds for the iPhone 12 Pro close-range focus issues.
Update 1 (December 09)
05:35 pm (IST): iPhone 12 Pro Max users are also facing similar camera focus issues at close range. However, a few are also reporting that they are experiencing flickering problems while recording videos and for some, horizontal lines also appear.
We’ve shared an screenshot of the issue below:
These issues do not seem to be widespread at the moment therefore you shouldn’t be worried about purchasing the iPhone 12 Pro Max in case you had it in mind.
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