Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has received a deluge of complaints about the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus since they landed in consumers’ hands, and now it’s the camera on the larger model that’s causing a problem. Experts think there may be something wrong with the optical image stabilization Apple included in the iPhone 6 Plus.
Cameragate for the iPhone 6 Plus?
The Daily Mail reports that many users have complained that the camera on the iPhone 6 Plus just won’t focus, which of course results in blurry photos, no matter how still the picture taker is sitting or standing. At this point it’s unclear just how many of the phablets are affected by the flaw.
It appears as if one of the first one to report problems with the iPhone 6 Plus’ camera is Apple forum user oneZer01. The poster said the rear camera wouldn’t focus no matter how still he / she was being. The person also said that the automatic or manual focus aren’t working either, although the front-facing camera was working just fine.
Optical image stabilization to blame?
The person who posted about the issue said the issue appeared to be the optical image stabilization feature. The feature works with the A8 chip that’s in the iPhone 6 Plus, as well as the gyroscope and the M8 motion coprocessor.
Together, they measure how much the camera is moving and then offer the proper lens movement to supposedly prevent blurry photos. The point of the feature was to ensure that even when taking photos in low light, they did not come out blurry when taken with shaky hands. The optical image stabilization also puts together long- and short-exposure images to reduce the motion of a photo’s subject as well.
Sounds inside the iPhone 6 Plus
According to Tech Tree, there appears to be some sort of vibration in the optical image stabilization system that keeps the camera from focusing. The website reports that one of its readers reported the same issue. The reader said the camera worked just fine out of the box and for the first few weeks he had it. Then the camera stopped being able to focus and began to take blurry photos and videos.
The website reports, “Everything in the camera viewfinder looks warped.”
Tech Tree’s reader also said he could hear some kind of mechanical clicking sound inside the iPhone 6 Plus while the camera was being used.
Some receive fixes from Apple
According to the Daily Mail, some iPhone 6 Plus owners have been able to get the problem fixed. Another user of Apple’s forums, Scott Story, said he took his iPhone 6 Plus to the Apple Store’s Genius Bar where they replaced the entire phone.
However, forum poster oneZer01 had the problem fixed another way—by replacing the camera, which was $59 but covered by the phone’s warranty.
Other iPhone 6 complaints
Some previously complained that the iPhone 6 Plus bent easily while riding around in someone’s pocket all day, which was the first complaint about this year’s iPhone models Others said the iPhone 6 pulled out their hair when they held it up to their ears.
So will we be adding “Cameragate” to “Bendgate” and “Hairgate“? And let’s not forget “Dyegate,” and “Crashgate.” It seems that any time there’s a controversy about a problem with either of the new iPhone 6 models, someone names it Whatevergate. So let’s call this one what it is: Cameragate.