How To Get Iphone Camera To Focus

Is your iPhone camera not focusing? This is most likely due to something small like a smudge on your device's camera lens. All you have to do is give it a good wipe. However, the problem could also be due to glitches or bugs, which would warrant a forced restart.

Not only am I a lover of all things Apple, but I like to think of myself as an excellent iPhone photo-taker. I've dealt with the problem many times and know all the fixes for it.

How Do You Fix iPhone Camera Not Focusing?
Solution 1: Remove your iPhone case
Solution 2: Force Close the Camera App
Solution 3: Clean Your Lens
Solution 4: Turn Off Auto Exposure Lock
Solution 5: Manual Focus
Solution 6: Restart Your iPhone
Solution 7: Remove Any Attached Magnetic Lens
Solution 8: Soft Reset
Solution 9: Software Update
Solution 10: Practice Your Photography Skills
Solution 11: Factory Reset
Solution 12: Enter Recovery Mode
Solution 13: Contact Apple Support
FAQ
Why Does My Camera Have Trouble Focusing?
Why Does my iPhone 12 Camera Look Grainy?
Final Thoughts

How Do You Fix iPhone Camera Not Focusing?

Let's take a closer look:

Solution 1: Remove your iPhone case

Although your phone case may look good, it may have several attachments on it. They could be preventing your camera from focusing properly.

Metal cases are also a bad choice. They can produce magnetic fields that would lead to focusing issues.

Solution 2: Force Close the Camera App

Your camera app could be giving you trouble. You can try quitting and restarting it.

Here's how you quit an iOS app:

Swipe up to enter the App preview
Scroll left or right until you find the application in question
Swipe up to close it

Solution 3: Clean Your Lens

There could be dust on your lens, or you may have eaten something oily and smudged it.

Use any soft cloth to clean it, but a microfiber one would be the best. Some microfiber cloths can pick up surface microbes, which kills two birds with one stone.

Solution 4: Turn Off Auto Exposure Lock

AE/AF, also known as Auto Exposure and Auto Focus might be enabled on your phone. Your iPhone camera focus would automatically be locked to a specific section in shots. If your subject is outside of where AE/AF is set, it would look blurred. It would be best to disable the feature.

Here's how you can disable the AE/AF lock:

Open the Camera app
Keep holding the screen until the AE/AF Lock prompt appears
Tap the screen to disable the feature

Solution 5: Manual Focus

You can manually lock autofocus on objects. Take advantage of this and set autofocus on what you're shooting, so your subject won't be blurry. All it takes is a tap:

Open the Camera app and press and hold what you want to focus on
Keep tapping the screen if your camera focus hasn't recognized the object yet

Solution 6: Restart Your iPhone

Try force restarting your handset. Any glitches that could be causing the problem will be cleared.

Here's how you can force a restart:

Press the Side/Power Button along with any of the Volume buttons
Slide the Shut-down slider
Press the Side button to reboot

Mobile capturing a beautiful view of the mountain

Solution 7: Remove Any Attached Magnetic Lens

I mentioned above that a metallic case could be the cause for your device's camera not focusing. A magnetic lens could also be the culprit. Similar to a metallic case, it can create a magnetic field that would disrupt OIS. Try detaching it when you're taking pictures.

Solution 8: Soft Reset

A soft reset is like a forced restart but more thorough. Your handset would be power-cycled, so all software issues should be cleared. It's the way to go if software glitches are the problem, and a forced restart doesn't do the trick:

Here's how you can soft reset:

Hold and quickly let go of the Volume Up button
Hold and quickly let go of the Volume Down button
Hold the Sleep/Wake button (until the Apple Logo screen appears)

Solution 9: Software Update

Have you not updated iOS in a while? You may be using an older iOS version that could have bugged out. It could be causing various problems, including the not focusing issue. Get rid of any software bugs by updating your operating system.

If you've enabled auto-updates, you don't have to worry, as your device would automatically install any new firmware.

Here's how you can install the latest iOS update:

Go to Settings > tap General
Click on Software Updates
Click Download & Install

Solution 10: Practice Your Photography Skills

You might not want to hear this, but your photography skills may be poor. This could be why you can't get autofocus to work.

Don't place your mobile too close to the subject. Moving too much when taking pictures is also a rookie mistake. If you have shaky hands, placing your iPhone on a solid surface and setting a timer could help.

Here's how you can set a timer:

Open the Camera app
Tap the arrow on top
Click the Timer button (set it to the interval you want)

Solution 11: Factory Reset

A factory reset could be just what you need. There may be a serious software issue that a forced restart or software update can't fix.

Just a warning:

All your data would be erased. You should probably back up your files to iCloud.

As your iPhone would go back to its factory settings, if you meddled with the camera app settings and caused the autofocus problem in the first place, this would be solved.

Here's how you can factory reset an iPhone:

Go to Settings > General
Select Reset
Click on Erase All Content & Settings
Tap Erase iPhone
You might be asked for your device's passcode
Confirm

Solution 12: Enter Recovery Mode

Let's say there is a bug in the iOS version you're using, but Apple has not issued an update to fix it yet. What do you do? You can restore an older, more stable version of the operating system. Do this by entering recovery mode.

Just like with factory resetting, though, you would lose all your data. You should backup your files to iCloud beforehand.

Here's how you can enter recovery mode on an iPhone:

Turn your iPhone off
On your computer, open iTunes
Use a lightning or USB cable to connect to the computer
Hold and release the Volume Up button
Hold and release the Volume Down button
Keep pressing the Side button until your mobile reboots (keep holding it even when the Apple logo appears)
You should see the iTunes screen on your phone's screen. Release the Side button
You will be asked if you want to either Restore or Update your device
Click Restore
Follow any on screen steps that might appear

Solution 13: Contact Apple Support

The poor focusing issue could be due to a cracked camera lens. In this case, only your local Apple store can help you. Depending on your warranty, they could fix the hardware damage for free.

There is a chance that your rear camera lens was already broken when you bought it. Your local Apple store can help, once again. You will get a free iPhone as a replacement if they can't repair the defect.

Capturing a photo with the iPhone 12 Pro Max

Related Reading

8 Amazing iPhone 12 Camera Tricks You Should Be Using
How to Turn Flash on iPhone 11? (The Basic Guide)

FAQ

I've answered some common questions below.

Why Does My Camera Have Trouble Focusing?

Wondering why your iPhone camera won't focus? It's most likely due to a software bug or glitch. Forcing a restart and quitting the camera app should help.

Photos could also be blurry if your camera lens is smudged. You may have placed an iPhone case with large attachments that block the rear camera lens end as well.

Why Does my iPhone 12 Camera Look Grainy?

Similar to the not focusing issue, cleaning your lens should help. Make sure you don't place any magnetic accessories on your handset either.

Also, you can try tweaking your device's camera settings. High ISO in low-light settings often causes grainy shots.

Here's how you can reduce your ISO:

Go to Settings
Open Camera
Disable Auto HDR

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Final Thoughts

I hope these solutions work for you. First, make sure your iPhone software is running the latest version of iOS. With just a software update, you could fix the issue and many other iOS problems on your phone.

The tips I discussed would work with any Apple device, from the iPhone SE and iPhone 6 to the iPad Mini and the iPod touch.

Ezoic

Author

Fabian Rozario

My love for tech started when I got the Motorola StarTac as my first phone. I've owned more than a dozen mobiles, tabs, and VR sets since then – my wife likes to joke that I hoard tech! My love especially for phones is what led me to become an app developer. When I'm not wracking my head with code, I spend my time on Converged Devices writing about all the devices you need to know.