iOS 26 broke astrophotography focus

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Level 1

19 points

iOS 26 broke astrophotography focus

my iPhone 16 took amazing astrophotography until I updated the iOS to 26, and it’s been taking blurry pictures ever since. It’s incredibly frustrating. ( latest update 26.1 has same issue) it’s terrible. It definitely has something to do with iOS 26 (software issue, not hardware) it just can’t hold the focus on the stars (both automatic and when I touch to focus or try to lock focus. It is wildly inconsistent now . More than 70% of the time it is blurry. This has never been an issue with my previous 14 pm or 15 pm. I see reports of this on 17 as well. I’ve been doing astrophotography with iPhone for a long time and it’s always worked well until I updated to iOS 26.

iPhone 16 Pro Max, iOS 26

Posted on Dec 2, 2025 2:55 AM

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Answer 1

JR Damnit Author

Level 1

19 points

Dec 2, 2025 5:53 AM in response to SravanKrA

My friend, it is absolutely the iOS in this case. I’ve been doing the exact same astrophotography on 14pm and 15pm and it was working perfectly on the 16pm as well for many months it wasn’t until the iOS update to 26 that it started having focus problems. Others in the astrophotography groups have made note of problems with the 17’s and I was glad I had stuck with my 16pm, but when I made the update it screwed it up bad. It’s 100% an issue with the iOS 26. I’m hoping a future update will fix the problem.

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Answer 2

Dec 2, 2025 4:36 AM in response to JR Damnit

It's not always the iOS update's fault! Many things can cause phone problems. If you tell people you think it's an iOS update, it might make it harder to fix or find a solution for the real issue.

Remember, the right question often leads to the solution!

Was/Is your device Jailbroken? If that's the situation, please be informed that attributing the issues to iOS updates may not be accurate.

iOS updates aim to enhance user experience, boost security, and fix bugs rather than disrupt core features. The majority of the issues after updates might stem from underlying, unmentioned factors. Updates won't typically alter personal data but may refine settings or features. Backup before major updates for safety. Review Apple's update details and backup advice for a smooth process.

Kindly consider checking your settings and addressing any device issues before attributing the issue to external factors. This could be a pure coincidence that the iOS update affected the iPhone functions.

Before initiating a standard iOS update, it's advisable to create a backup. Have you completed this step? If yes, proceed with the restoration from the backup.

See what each update does: OS — iOS 26, About iOS 18 Updates, About iOS 17 Updates, About iOS 16 Updates, About iOS 15 Updates, About iOS 14 Updates, About iOS 13 Updates, About iOS 12 Updates, and so on...

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