Why Is My iPhone Camera Shaking & How to Fix It

Some users with the new iPhone 16 and older iPhone models have had camera problems since the latest Apple operating system update. In particular, there's an iPhone Pro camera focus issue. If you're experiencing these issues, here's how to get your iPhone camera working again!

Jump To

• Why Is Your iPhone Camera Shaking after an iOS Update?
• How to Fix iPhone Camera Jumping between Lenses & Shaking
• APPLE WARNING: Motorcycle Vibrations May Damage iPhone Camera

Why Is My iPhone Camera Shaking & How to Fix It

Is your iPhone screen vibrating, shaking, flickering, pulsing, jumping between lenses, or other iPhone camera glitching issues? We can help! Here's every iPhone camera shaking fix. Subscribe to our free Tip of the Day for more great iPhone camera tutorials.

Why Is Your iPhone Camera Shaking after an iOS Update?

While Apple is constantly working on fixing bugs, improving features, and adding new capabilities via software updates, sometimes an iOS update can cause issues. While it is best to wait for Apple to release a new software update that will fix any known bugs (which can happen quickly if there are significant issues), it is also possible to downgrade to older software. 

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Keep in mind that there are many downsides to downgrading, so make sure you understand the possible issues that may arise, such as issues with your Apple Watch. Plus, using an older iOS can make your iPhone susceptible to security problems that have been resolved in newer updates. Even though new software may have some issues, it is always best to keep your iPhone running on the latest iOS.

How to Fix iPhone Camera Jumping between Lenses & Shaking

If your iPhone camera is not focusing correctly or jumping between lenses automatically, causing an unsightly dip while recording videos, you may be able to fix this by adjusting your settings, which we'll go over below. Before you do that, you may want to try a few other troubleshooting steps.

1. Clean your iPhone camera lens with a soft, slightly damp, lint-free cloth, preferably a lens cloth. Read How to Clean an iPhone Camera for a thorough cleaning tutorial. Even a tiny bit of dust can affect your iPhone’s Autofocus.
2. Remove your phone case and/or camera lens protector and see if it is still happening. Some phone cases may interfere with the camera Autofocus without you realizing it.
3. Restart the Camera app.
4. Restart your iPhone. This often-overlooked step can fix many bugs and doesn't take a lot of time or effort. Try it now and see if it helps!
5. Check for a software update. Especially if your issues started with an update, another update might be available to fix known bugs.
6. Next, check your Camera app settings and try toggling on Lock Camera.
7. If none of these steps work and your camera isn’t usable, you may want to consider resetting your iPhone to factory settings. This would require a full backup and can take a long time.

How to Toggle On Lock Camera

The Lock Camera settings prevent your lenses from switching automatically. Turning on Lock Camera will solve the problem of your iPhone camera jumping from lens to lens. To turn Lock Camera on:

1. Open Settings.
   
   
2. Tap Camera.
   
   
3. Tap Record Video.
   
   
4. Toggle on Lock Camera.
   
   

If this doesn't help, try turning off automatic Macro mode next.

How to Restart Camera App on an iPhone 16 or Older

If you experience your iPhone cameras not working after you've taken a lot of photos or videos, it is possible that there is a glitch caused by you using your camera too much without giving it a break. To reset it, you can quickly restart it:

1. Swipe up from the bottom of your Home Screen to open the App Switcher. Make sure to swipe from the very bottom of your screen and hold your finger on the screen when finished with the swiping motion. If at first you don't succeed, try and try again.
   
   
2. Once you locate the Camera app, tap it and swipe up in a flicking motion so that it disappears off the screen. I like to take this chance to quit all my running apps. But you can also navigate between them by swiping right and left if you just want to restart a specific app.
   
   

Apple Warning: Motorcycle Vibrations May Damage iPhone Camera

Although the iPhone camera shaking issues may be caused by various other factors, on September 10, 2021, Apple announced that exposure to high amplitude vibrations might cause iPhone vibration damage and camera glitching. This only happens within specific frequency ranges, such as those generated by high-power motorcycle engines.

It's super frustrating when your iPhone camera is shaky and jittery, so I hope this guide fixed your iPhone camera glitching, pulsing, and shaking problem. For more iPhone camera hacks, check out how to zoom out in Portrait mode. Or, learn how to fix front camera not working (iPhone 16 & earlier).