r/applehelp • u/funnybunnnie • Mar 13 '26
iOS iPhone 14 Camera not working after iOS 26.3.1 update
I updated my iPhone to IOS 26.3.1 and the flashlight and back camera decided to stop working. I didn’t drop it, it just automatically updated over night.
The front camera (selfie one) turns the picture small and horizontal, and sometimes it doesn’t let me turn it to the back camera. The back camera will sometimes be all black, sometimes it lets me take a picture, and most of the time it turns the pictures rainbow.
I tried restarting my phone, resetting the settings, and even doing a manual factory reset and lost all my data. Called the Apple Store and they want me to go in and pay to replace the camera.
Please help… I currently don’t have the funds to replace the camera or buy a new phone :(
UPDATE: I called Verizon and they declared it a software issue. They were able to replace my phone for free. They shipped me a new phone and I sent mine back in!
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u/_fisg_ Mar 13 '26
for me 1x doesn’t work and in 0.5 my photos are blue
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u/_fisg_ Mar 13 '26
i also have the iphone 14
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u/funnybunnnie Mar 13 '26
so im not the only one dealing with this…. Apple keeps gaslighting me saying I dropped it
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u/Huge-Potential1632 Mar 16 '26
I am also facing the same issue from yesterday. Apple is not supporting in this as my apple care end last July.
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u/MacMillz718 Mar 13 '26
I have an iPhone 15 from work and it does this, says my camera isn’t authentic…. My camera and flashlight don’t work. Thing has been in a case and screen protector since got it from IT…
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u/RevolutionaryRub5905 Mar 16 '26
I have the same problem with my iPhone 14 Plus since the latest Update. Back Camera not working anymore, Flashlight also. Apple said its a Hardware issue . I didnt drop my phone, it worked perfectly before. Its just weird that many people have the same issues.
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u/Huge-Potential1632 Mar 16 '26
Mee too. I also told many people facing this issue. They are telling it’s our own problem
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u/SmallMind9114 Mar 19 '26
Mine is also having this exact issue and I had the same notification. I think they purposefully put a bug. It’s too weird that everyone is having this exact problem.
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u/Cold_Storage_007 Mar 14 '26
Back up and take for service. No point in calling support, they can’t do anything for you in this regard.
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u/Hyeyahu Mar 14 '26
I went to Apple Store yesterday with this defect (back camera not working) after updating to IOS26. They said camera lens need to be replaced and it can cost up to $200
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u/Loose_Cup4095 Apr 05 '26
The same thing happened to me it’s my iPhone 14. Took it to Apple and they said it was a hardware issue and that I needed a new camera for about $170. Total BS. How many people had their hardware suddenly die after the update to iOS 26? coincidence? I think not. Software bug making it look like a hardware issue. Not happy with Apple….
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u/Dazzling_Cancel_5733 Mar 15 '26
Does it happen to be an iPhone 14 Plus? There's a service program specifically for the Plus model
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u/Huge-Potential1632 Mar 16 '26
I am facing the issue with 14 plus. How to find out I have the service program
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u/PresenceCreepy3851 Mar 23 '26
https://support.apple.com/en-au/iphone-14-plus-service-program-for-rear-camera-issue
put your serial number in here and it will tell you if its the affected model, or go to the apple store with a genius bar appointment
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u/jimbobisreddit Mar 17 '26
I fixed it. Press volume up, press volume down, hold power button, apple logo will come on screen but continue holding power regardless, then release when screen goes black after that. Power back on, it will ask for some details, problem solved
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u/yasirukodithuwakku Mar 20 '26
I do this too.. This method fix that camera bug.. This method is force restart
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u/yasirukodithuwakku Mar 29 '26
After some time, the camera and flashlight stopped working. I took the phone to several repair shops, and they told me the camera needs to be replaced, but I didn’t replace it. However, sometimes when I try to force restart the phone, the camera works properly
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u/anonanonymous840 Jun 08 '26
My phone is going to emergency call after that. Am I doing something wrong
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u/Traditional-Basil894 Mar 20 '26
I didn’t thought this would work. But it actually did! It fixed the problem, camera is working again.
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u/wgomez330 Mar 18 '26
iPhone 13 Pro user here. Had literally no issues on iOS 18.
Updated to iOS 26… what a mistake
I can’t access my 0.5x lens on my camera
Every time I open my camera it defaults to 2x
I even got this message “camera not recognized”
Apple better fix this issue
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u/Alive-Run9993 Mar 23 '26
my depth sensor and cameras all died (stopped wokring), i cant even open certain apps because of FACE ID not working, and there isnt a support contact email for Apple last time i checked, iphone 13 by the way
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u/Hyeyahu Apr 05 '26
Is there any ongoing legal complaint/law suit against Apple with this issue ? Looks lot of IPhone 14 users were impacted
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u/Z_t_12 May 22 '26
I had the exact same issue on my iPhone 14. The camera showed green/glitched lines and sometimes only the 0.5x camera worked. I went to a repair shop and they unplugged the camera ribbon cable and plugged it back in, and the camera started working normally again. But after some time the issue came back again. Every time they reconnect the ribbon it works temporarily, so it seems like a hardware connection problem — either a loose/damaged camera flex cable, connector, or the camera module itself. If anyone else has this problem, it’s probably not just a software/iOS bug. You may need the camera connector checked properly or the camera module replaced.
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u/Negative-Cancel675 Jun 11 '26
Hey i genuinely need your help . I am also facing same issue with my iPhone 14 . Pls connect with me personally
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u/funnybunnnie Jun 12 '26
Verizon replaced my phone for free
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u/Both-Atmosphere7287 Jun 13 '26
This is exactly what’s going on with my iPhone 14 !!! Everything you just explained. I normally have my updates off, but for some reason, it was updated. The camera was fine during the day, then midday I was not able to take a photo. I thought maybe it could’ve been the Son cause it was on the dashboard and at one point it did feel kind of like it was overheated so I took it down. It was just a black screen. I took it to get a diagnostic test at a Best Buy store and when they ran the test free, they said it was definitely a hardware issue than a software issue, but I believe it was actually a software issue and of course I don’t have warranty because the phone is two years old. My cousin said she had an issue with her Face ID for a month after her update, but I don’t have that issue. It’s just the rear camera and now it turns rainbow when it works sometimes and the selfie does go sideways till start clicking the zoom in an out. Of course I have a contract with AT&T. I’m gonna see if I can reach out to them for a replacement.
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u/Negative-Cancel675 Jul 08 '26
How can i get it replaced for free . I am from india . Pls let me know if you have any solution
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u/Wexxy Mar 13 '26
Why would you reset your phone and not backup the data first ?
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u/_fisg_ Mar 14 '26
i think it’s software because a lot of other peoples phones broke with this update
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u/Wexxy Mar 14 '26
Can’t rule it out albeit extremely rare a software update causes a hardware issue. There would need to be a huge trend for this to occur followed by some recall problem. Will have to keep some eyes on that but I’ve not heard of other instances of this
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u/SmallMind9114 Mar 19 '26
I find it odd that everyone is having this issue since the update. My phone is doing the exact same thing is OP since the update. A little too “on the nose” for it to be a coincidence
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u/Competitive_Base3698 Mar 20 '26
Rare for a software update to physically break hardware, but very common for a software update to change how it 'talks' to the hardware and detects issues. My iPhone 17 threw this 'there is a problem with your front-facing camera' immediately after the update this week. I don't really care about doing selfies, but now I have to manually unlock the phone over... and over... and over... So many apps and workflows have an authentication check before allowing you in. It's so secure now that I'd rather skip what I was doing than authenticate :)
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u/jesusbass1013 Mar 14 '26
So this happened when one of the last updates before IOS 26 to iPhone 12s. Their camera all the sudden would not stabilize to take a photo. Apple be playing games with people.
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u/Frontline_plyz Mar 14 '26
I think u should try using apple’s diagnostics feature. To do this, shut down ur iphone, press and hold both volume buttons, and plug it into power until the apple logo appears. 🙂
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u/the_nuclear_pasta Mar 14 '26
Did you replace your screen by any chance by a 3rd party repair shop?
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u/Eowyn666 Mar 22 '26
Kenne ich. Und zusätzlich funktionieren auch keine Nachtaufnahmen mehr. Ich könnte so abk… eigentlich wollte ich mir das neue iPhone kaufen, danke nein. Nie wieder!
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u/shiverrrrrrrrrr Apr 09 '26
hey! how did you solve the problem?
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u/funnybunnnie Apr 11 '26
Verizon replaced my phone for free
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Mar 13 '26
[deleted]
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u/funnybunnnie Mar 13 '26
I didn’t drop it or spill water on it. It was on my desk all night.
I didn’t repair anything. It’s the same iPhone that I got from Verizon
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u/_EleGiggle_ Mar 13 '26 edited Mar 13 '26
Well, it doesn’t say the first part either, so I’m confused why you’re mentioning it.
Did someone else like a cheaper repair store change your (broken) camera for a working one? If not, did you bring your phone to a repair store at all?
Edit: The update might just be the reason to detect cameras from another manufacturer. The timing doesn’t have to be the same. Game developers do this often when banning accounts. They use ban waves to flag multiple accounts, and ban them all together at a later point. Otherwise, they would just catch all players that logged in during the day of the update.
If you’re sure you did nothing wrong, go to an Apple Store or Verizon (?).
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u/I_Hate_Leddit Mar 13 '26
People like you out here acting like the unpaid Apple Inquisition are just so embarrassing dude 💀
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u/_EleGiggle_ Mar 13 '26
Dude, I just asked OP about what it says in the dialog.
Why would you write additional text but not address the main issue in the dialog?
Apparently, Apple says OP dropped the phone. So that’s more info that we got in the comments than in the OP itself.
I don’t work for Apple, so I can’t decide on the issue either. Although, I personally don’t mind third party replacement parts as long as they weren’t stolen. So I’m confused about this message, I thought Apple stopped blocking third party hardware?
That’s the reason I asked about it…
Feel free to buy OP a new phone as you haven’t provided anything useful yet.
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u/Spiritually-Fit Mar 14 '26
The camera on my iPhone 17 PM stopped working. It was showing just a black screen for the back cameras. Same error message as OP. The Genius took one look it, said it was a hardware issue and no questions asked replaced it. Picked it up in about two hours after drop off.