Blurry and dark photos on my iPhone 15

I’ve actually had the same issue with my iPhone— especially when taking photos indoors or in low light. Even though the camera hardware is great, I noticed some photos still turn out a bit blurry or darker than expected, with less detail, particularly when shooting quickly or when the lens isn’t super clean.

Here's what worked for me:

1. Clean the lens (obvious but easy to forget — fingerprints can make a huge difference).
2. Disable "Photographic Styles" temporarily — some styles add contrast but crush shadow detail.
3. Use the 1x zoom (main sensor) instead of 2x or 0.5x, especially in low light — the main lens has better image processing and light capture.
4. Enable Night Mode manually, even if it doesn't auto-activate — it helps reduce blur in dark environments.
5. For already taken photos that were blurry or dark, I've used an AI tool to enhance them afterward.

I've had good results with 4DDiG Photo Enhancer — it sharpens blurry images and brings out detail without making the photo look unnatural. It's especially helpful when the original shot isn't re-takable.

So yeah, while the iPhone camera is powerful, it's still software-dependent — and sometimes you need a little extra help.

If your Photos and Videos are stored in iCloud and you share it before downloading the original then it may appear blurry but it is not.

Your photos and videos are stored on your device in their original, high-resolution version. This means that they use a lot of space on your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. With iCloud Photos, you can make more space available on your device and have your entire collection, everywhere you go.

Get started with iCloud Photos:

1. Tap Settings > [your name] > iCloud > Photos.
2. Turn on iCloud Photos.
3. Select Optimize iPhone Storage to save space on your device.
4. 

With Optimize Storage, smaller, space-saving photos and videos are kept on your device while all of your original, full-resolution versions are stored in iCloud. And as long as you have enough space in iCloud, you can store as many photos and videos as you want.

You may try some of these steps, please check after each step...

1. Ensure adequate lighting. Poor lighting can significantly impact eye-tracking performance.  
2. Sometimes assistive touch settings can interfere. Check your assistive touch settings within the accessibility menu.
3. Ensure your screen protector or case isn't obstructing the front-facing camera. See the poic below
   1. 

Lighting effects and needs

Lighting plays a crucial role when capturing indoor photos or videos as it greatly impacts the overall quality and aesthetics of the final result. Here are some reasons why lighting is essential in indoor photography and videography:

1. Adequate lighting ensures that your subject is properly exposed, meaning it is neither too bright nor too dark. Sufficient light helps to maintain clarity, detail, and sharpness in your images or footage, allowing viewers to see the subject clearly.
2. Appropriate lighting conditions help to reproduce accurate colors in your indoor photos and videos. Different light sources can have varying color temperatures, such as warm (yellowish) or cool (bluish) tones. Understanding and controlling the lighting in your environment enables you to achieve the desired color accuracy and white balance.
3. Properly balanced lighting helps to minimize harsh shadows or blown-out highlights, creating a more balanced and visually pleasing composition. By strategically positioning light sources or using reflectors, you can control the shadows and highlights to enhance the overall depth and dimension of your indoor shots.
4. Lighting has the power to set the mood and create a specific atmosphere in your indoor visuals. For example, soft and diffused lighting can generate a calm and intimate ambiance, while dramatic or directional lighting can evoke a sense of mystery or tension. Understanding how different lighting techniques influence the mood allows you to craft the desired emotional impact in your photos or videos.
5. Being able to control the lighting in indoor settings provides you with greater creative freedom. You can experiment with various lighting setups, such as using natural light, artificial lighting, or a combination of both. Additionally, manipulating the direction, intensity, and color of light allows you to create unique and captivating visual effects, enhancing the storytelling aspect of your indoor photography or videography.

Considering these factors, investing time and effort into understanding and utilizing proper lighting techniques will significantly enhance the quality, impact, and overall aesthetic appeal of your indoor photos and videos.

Learn how to take photos with the Camera on your iPhone. Choose from camera modes such as Photo, Video, Cinematic, Pano, and Portrait, and zoom in or out to frame your shot.

Learn iPhone camera basics - Apple Support

Learn about Photographic Styles, QuickTake, Action mode, the Ultra Wide camera, and other camera features on your iPhone.

Understand About the Camera features on your iPhone - Apple Support (IN)

By default, iPhone takes photos in HDR (for the rear camera and the front camera) when it’s most effective. iPhone 12 models, iPhone 13 models, and iPhone 14 models, record video in HDR to capture true-to-life colour and contrast.

Take appropriate action to Adjust HDR camera settings on iPhone - Apple Support (IN)

The camera modes built into your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch help you take the ideal photo or video. Swipe left or right on the camera screen to switch to a different mode. You can choose from photo, video, time-lapse, slo-mo, square, Portrait, and pano modes.

For this, you may Use camera modes on your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch

With the Camera on models that support Portrait mode, you can apply a depth-of-field effect that keeps your subject—people, pets, objects, and more—sharp while creating a beautifully blurred foreground and background. You can apply and adjust different lighting effects to your Portrait mode photos, and on iPhone X and later, you can even take a selfie in Portrait mode.

Learn how to --> Take Portrait mode photos with your iPhone camera

Learn about advanced Camera features that let you capture photos faster, apply tailored and enhanced looks to your photos, and view content outside the camera frame.

Try to Change advanced camera settings on iPhone - Apple Support

Use the Camera to record videos and QuickTake videos on your iPhone. Learn how to change modes to take Cinematic, slow-motion, and time-lapse videos.

Here you can see an Apple Article with all video recording options --> Record videos with your iPhone camera - Apple Support

Taking tips from here may also help you. --> Tutorials | iPhone Photography School

Cinematic mode applies a depth-of-field effect that keeps the subject of your video sharp while creating a beautifully blurred foreground and background. iPhone ...

Record videos in Cinematic mode with your iPhone camera

Take a macro photo or video

Open Camera on your iPhone. Make sure Camera is in Photo or Video mode. Get close to the subject—as close as 2 centimeters. Camera will automatically switch to the Ultra Wide camera to enable macro photography.

Take macro photos and videos with your iPhone camera