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iPhone XS Max Camera Pulsing and Won't Focus

I

imtoomuch

macrumors member
Original poster
Sep 25, 2018
81
93
My iPhone XS Max randomly started having focusing issues. The view in the camera app will pulse from focused to not focused very quickly and it will not stop even if I try to force focus by touching the screen. When I select 2X focus it seems to stop.

I've tried force closing the app and restarting my phone numerous times to no avail. I've removed the case and cleaned the lens. I'm also on the latest version of iOS.

Any idea why this is happening or how to fix it?
 
Why do you consider that a "last resort"?
You are having new problems, which could be hardware - or could be software.
Reinstalling the iOS system is the quickest way to eliminate software, as it would reinstall the control drivers for the camera, and the camera app itself.
Then comes your last resort - bringing your iPhone in to an Apple store for a checkout/repair/replacement.
In my opinion, software comes first. Maybe you have a different opinion.
 
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DeltaMac said:
Why do you consider that a "last resort"?
You are having new problems, which could be hardware - or could be software.
Reinstalling the iOS system is the quickest way to eliminate software, as it would reinstall the control drivers for the camera, and the camera app itself.
Then comes your last resort - bringing your iPhone in to an Apple store for a checkout/repair/replacement.
In my opinion, software comes first. Maybe you have a different opinion.
Click to expand...

Fair enough - my last resort would definitely be to visit the Apple store and deal with their non technical techs. LOL
 
DeltaMac said:
Try a full backup/restore.
Click to expand...

Not necessary. Restarting the phone should’ve cleared that issue already, this sounds to be more hardware related as a focal lens issue due to the loss of focus. I’d say the latter is necessary for a Genius appointment.
 
Relentless Power said:
Not necessary. Restarting the phone should’ve cleared that issue already, this sounds to be more hardware related as a focal lens issue due to the loss of focus. I’d say the latter is necessary for a Genius appointment.
Click to expand...

What's odd is that I put my hand in front of the lens it can focus on it. It's just when things are farther away that the lens is searching for focus.
 
imtoomuch said:
What's odd is that I put my hand in front of the lens it can focus on it. It's just when things are farther away that the lens is searching for focus.
Click to expand...

The adjusting of the lens to objects farther away is likely a hardware issue, is should be almost instantaneous. I still suggest contacting Apple directly, as you’re under warranty as it is.
 
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What are you trying to take a picture of? Would you mind posting a picture you've had trouble with?

Autofocus relies on the imaging software to resolve sharpness from contrast. Anything that prevents this will cause autofocus to fail or 'hunt' (moving in and out of focus).

So you'll need clean lenses as smudging can cause the cameras software to think its out of focus.

You'll need contrast in the image. So a plain white wall or completely blue sky can be troublesome because there is no contrast in the image to reference sharpness.

You'll need light. Depending on the image light is needed to see the contrast in details. On smartphones the flash will generally fire once for autofocus and again to capture the image if its too dark for 'night modes' or whatever its called. Trying to circumvent this will generally lead to an out of focus shot.

Often times the default camera app just isn't suited for a particular shot. DSLR cameras have a manual focus function even on an autofocus lens for this reason. The default camera app likes to focus on object closer to the camera since that is typically how its used. Touching the screen on a point to focus works however a slight movement of the iPhone or change in picture (people walking in front of you) resets this. For this issue you can do two things, 1. Zoom in on the screen to get near objects out of the field of view. 2. Get an apps with manual focus (I recommend Halide). Manual focus is especially important if you take a lot of photos through windows/glass/screens/etc as the camera can try to focus on the glass not what you are trying to shoot through the glass.

Most commonly 'hunting' is a problem with smartphones for macro shots. Being too close to the subject puts it out of the lens depth of field which makes it impossible to focus so the camera 'hunts'. In that case just use 2x and pull the iPhone away until you can get a razor sharp focus and then digitally zoom or zoom in edit.

Maybe something here helped a bit.
 
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