How to Fix iPhone 16 Pro Max Camera Focus Issue

The closeup images the I’ve been posting are at 48 MP and 1X lens. iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max automatically switch to macro mode, which requires the .5X 13mm ultra wide lens. The 13mm is not as sharp as the 24mm, in my experience.

The iPhone 16 Pros automatically switch to the 13mm lens and drop resolution at specific a specific distance.

On an iPhone 16, macro mode automatically activates when you get very close to a subject, causing the camera to switch to the Ultra Wide lens to capture extreme close-up details; this is indicated by a flower icon in the camera viewfinder, and you can essentially take close-up photos by simply getting near your subject without needing to manually adjust settings, although you can turn off macro mode if needed by tapping the flower icon

Take macro photos and videos with your iPhone camera - Apple Support

Control automatic macro switching

You can control when Camera automatically switches to the Ultra Wide camera for capturing macro photos and videos.

1. Open Camera  on your iPhone.
2. Get close to your subject.
3. When you get within macro distance of your subject,  appears on the screen.
4. Tap  to turn off automatic macro switching.
5. Tip: If the photo or video becomes blurry, you can back up or tap .5x to switch to the Ultra Wide camera.
6. Tap  to turn automatic macro switching back on.

Decentering is easy to determine. Shot a photo and determine which side is presenting the issue. Flip the iPhone 180° and shoot the same subject. The defect should be present on the opposite side as the first shot.

If you want to post a couple of images I’m happy to review them.

I'm having the same problems as everyone else. Apple, please fix this! I was so excited for the upgraded camera features on the iPhone 16 pro, but turns out I can't even take a simple, clear photos. So disappointing. I should have kept my iPhone 12.

Hello,

I have the same issue with my iPhone 16 Pro. I returned it to an  reseller, and they replaced camera and everything (except the battery and screen). However, the problem with blurry images still persists. For now, I’ve decided not to return it again, at least not yet.

What’s even more surprising is that two employees at the reseller store had the same issue on their iPhone 16 Pro, and they weren’t even aware of it. That makes me wonder how many more people haven’t noticed this problem yet.

Honestly, it’s quite embarrassing for the brand that a flagship iPhone takes worse photos than a 10-year-old model. I might try returning it at an official  store or request a full refund at the reseller and either buy a 15 Pro or wait for the 17 Pro. This is unacceptable, and it’s frustrating that no one seems to be talking about it, except here...

I linked to an article above, from Apple, that explains the changes in the macro lens and how to take macro photos. Did you read the article and understand the changes and apply them to your photography? Just a simple yes or no question.

Take macro photos and videos with your iPhone camera - Apple Support

Cameras that don’t have interchangeable lens are at a disadvantage. iPhone photographers (and all other smartphone photographers) will have to learn to adapt in changes in the hardware and software every year.

If you’re an old dog (just an expression 😀😀) then don’t learn new tricks. But if you’re willing to learn and adapt to changes, you’ll be very satisfied with the results.

If it’s all about megapixels, here I am shooting a 4x5 film camera with about 800 megapixels.

Promotional picture shot on iPhone XS in 2019 for one of many workshops I taught on 4X5 (large format) photography.

A relatively obscure American photographer of the western United States once said,

“The single most important component of a camera is the twelve inches behind it!”

Ansel Adams

Ive been involved in photography since the late ‘70’s and taught photography for 4 years at MSU, worked for AP and International Herald Tribune.

My job was to come back with a photo, not worrying about my camera not working the way I want it to. If a third party app is the better tool for a specific job or photo, use it. I couldn’t care less what camera or app took it.

Yes, DoF is a zone of acceptable sharpness that extends both in front of and behind the point of focus (subject). If I misstated, it could have been a typo. Sorry for any confusion it may have caused.

Post your group shot with ISO, shutter speed and f/number and which lens or zoom setting.

You may also be interested in learning Apple iOS 18.2 public release is rolling out around the world in many (all?) countries today. I watched a video from someone in Australia an hour ago and he’d installed the update and reported that it resolved many of his issues. The article below explains how to update. The release time in your area may not have occurred yet. You will just need to check the update option in your iPhone.

Update iOS on iPhone

I confirm the problem.

Tests done on 8 iPhone 16 Pro/Pro Max + my iPhone 16 Pro, as well as on 3 iPhone 16 (non Pro), in iOS 18.2.1. And on an iPhone 14 and an iPhone 13 :

• 7 iPhone 16 Pro/Pro max have exactly the same problem of blurry images at relatively short distances at about 0.8-1.5m (1x, non macro mode), as soon as you go far from center. When you are at a distance that allows both macro and non macro modes, the problem disappears when you switch to Macro mode (still in 1x mode)
• 1 iPhone 16 Pro has it, but to a lesser extent
• 1 iPhone 16 Pro hardly has it at all, though it's there
• No iPhone 16 (non-pro), 14 or 13 has this problem

My conclusions on the origin of the problem :

•  it COULD BE a sensor size problem
  • But this requires more in-depth tests, with similar hardware (note that a DSLR Nikon D7200 that has a way bigger sensor does not have the problem, as far as this can be taken as a comparison)

• it's NOT a depth-of-field (DOF) problem
  • All photos taken with an iPhone 16 Pro (Max or not) from a distance of about one meter or less have this problem on the main sensor. Photos of a flat sheet of paper taken with the camera parallel to the sheet (so DOF non-existent).
  • The examples illustrated before in this post are very representative of what I've also seen.

• it's NOT a software processing problem
  • The problem is present in ProRAW mode, which corresponds to what the sensor recorded without any software processing over it.
  • The problem does not occur on iPhone 14 or 13 series (non-professionals). Same apps, same iOS, etc...

• it's NOT a viewing software problem
  • see comment on ProRAW above the problem does not manifest itself on the iPhone 14 or 13 series (non-professionals).
  • Same apps, same iOS, etc...

• it's NOT a problem of motion blur, or dirty lens.
  • see tests carried out, with meticulously cleaned lenses, and no camera shake. 100% reproducible problem.
  • Note that the "trails" do a star-like shape blur coming from the center, when a motion blur make "trails" in the same direction.

• it's NOT a night mode problem
  • Same results obtained with or without night mode

The problem disappears as soon as you switch to wide-angle macro mode, typically in the short range of distances where the camera offers the option of switching to macro mode or not. So, for the same photo and distance, the lens used behaves differently: one produces blurred photos as soon as you move away from the center, while the other produces very sharp photos over the whole field.

This is not diffraction, as the “trails” observed are monochromatic, including in ProRaw, and therefore taken as such by the sensor without any software processing.

My conclusion: it's obviously a hardware problem. With a one-in-10 chance of finding an acceptable (albeit imperfect) model. Which is... unacceptable considering the price of the device, and the fact that the non-pro model clearly doesn't have the problem.

Yes, photos app on your iPhone and share/export and chose Option and Most Compatible.

Adjust the camera's focus and exposure

• Open Camera on your iPhone.
• Tap the screen to show the automatic focus area and exposure setting.
• Tap where you want to move the focus area.
• Next to the focus area, drag. up or down to adjust the exposure.

Use iPhone camera tools to set up your shot - Apple Support (IN)

Some people are asking if its the telephot lens or 5x or whatever. For god sake, thats the real problem that even if at 1x you take a normal photo of two persons, one sitting close to you and the other one sitting a little behind him, the person at the behind goes blur and the one who is sitting closer to you becomes razor sharp. The problem is that it is not the photo that you took in portrait mode and you cannot even change the focus in the edit mode since you wanted both of such persons to be in focus like any 'normal' camera phone would do. Duh! I hope apple brings some software update to rectify it.

Hey mate sorry I’m on the phone this time and screenshots are too big of a file, if I’m on the PC later I’ll shrink and upload, but basically it’s the 1x Fusion Camera - 24mm, f1.78, 24MP, JPEG. (ALL of them are the same but different ISO maybe because of lighting?!)

I’m not an expert in photography, all I know is that from the comparisons over the last even 6 generations or more (I have been rocking every iPhone since iPhone 3G) I was getting good photos as I have been taking the same photos of these sheets of serial numbers for the last 10 years , and now with the iPhone 16 I just get blurry photos when I zoom in…. And yes I could use the macro lens or the extra wide lens to take non-blurry photos but that’s not the point. We’re in 2024 and these camera (main camera ant 1x) are meant to be getting better and more convenient for the user.

But this is how I have always been taking the photos forever and now they are noticeably blurry hence how I found how bad the blur is when I zoomed into the serial number to add it into a spreadsheet, and then I started testing it and yes the main lens (or fusion camera) takes bad photos where the previous iPhones (except I never had an iPhone 15 so I can’t comment on that) have been taking excellent photos of the same sheets which I have been doing for years on the 1x main camera…I wonder if the Samsung galaxies have the same issues 😅

I’m sure they won’t reply to your post as they have no real answer but just going around in circles . I had to dig out and use an old IPhone X which takes much sharper photos -16pro max photos are horrendously blurred and I need it to take up close photos for my work.

I’m really disappointed too after I took a photo, even in the max 48 MP, and zoomed it to find that it’s very low quality. To think that iphone 16 pro max was heavily advertised to have the best camera and hence the best photo taken. It’s also blurry when zoomed. Twas manufactured last Oct 2024 and first used on Dec 11, 2024.😭😭😭

Ok, I see what you’re saying, but if that’s the case sometimes you want to take a photo of the whole A4 or A3 which doesn’t work at the macro as it won’t take the whole page / pamphlet/ menu in the shot because you would have to be very too close to the sheet / pamphlet/ page etc. Yes the text will be sharp, but you won’t get the whole A4 or A3 in the photo, for example a menu which is A3 at a restaurant!

NOW the problem is with the 0.5x lens / shot, is that it make everything look weird and un proportional, for example it stretches out all the corners and it just doesn’t look proportional or natural, if you know what I mean.

And as for the rest of the zooms which are 1.2x (28mm) and 1.5x(35mm) is the same, blurry, so the only work around is to use the 2x zoom (12MP 🤦🏻) which will make it look the sharpest and the most natural, and not stretched out like the 0.5x zoom.

I would be interested in that fix for the focus issue

in researching my wide open aperture issue I came across this iPhone 16 Pro Max camera review

by TONY & CHELSEA NORTHRUP (1.6 million subscribers)

utube: iPhone 16 Pro camera: DISAPPOINTING & MISLEADING

he covers the subject at hand (focus issues)

worth a read, by a professional photographer and factual influencer style