Users claim bug in iPhone 14 Pro Max is causing camera to physically fail

The latest iPhone, iPhone 14 is causing concern with users reporting grinding noise and vibrations from the phone when using the camera to open apps like Instagram and TikTok.

The iPhone 14 Pro Max has been affected by a major bug that is apparently affecting the camera on the phone when users are operating the camera through apps such as Snapchat, Instagram, and TikTok. News about the bug has been reported by some owners of the latest iPhone.

Users of the iPhone 14 have been going to social media to share their experiences with some claiming rattling sounds and extensive vibrations of the entire phone when they open apps like Snapchat or when using the camera for Instagram but not when using the phone’s inbuilt camera app.

Some users have also gone on social media to share videos of their experiences. With the apparent rattling noise from the camera’s module, some have speculated that the problem may be with image stabilization and the changes made to the camera in iPhone 14 Pro Max that may not be fully compatible with third-party applications.

While Apple had not responded to requests for comment earlier on after a few users had shared their experience on social media, with the build-up of users reporting the problem, a statement from Apple to Bloomberg has indicated that the corporate giant has finally acknowledged the problem being experienced by some owners of the new phone. The company has promised to roll out a fix to the bug problem sometime next week.

Despite being the most expensive in the iPhone series, iPhone 14 Pro Max has been affected by a bug that appears to be affecting its optical image stabilization (OIS) feature. The OIS feature uses a motor that eliminates the effects of a camera shaking when taking pictures and with the OIS motor failure, no wonder owners have been reporting about vibrations of the entire phone and clear grinding sounds happening when opening the camera in certain apps.

Users have also noted that the vibrations only occur when launching the camera from certain apps and not when they use the built-in camera app suggesting that the problem may be a software fault. To avoid permanently damaging the OIS system, affected owners have been advised by people online to limit using TikTok, Snapchat, and Instagram applications which seem to be activating the bug.

Apple has previously given a warning about the OIS’s possible damage in situations where the phone is vibrating significantly. Early this year in the company’s warning note that was published in January, users were cautioned about the risk of mounting their iPhones near “high-power motorcycle engines” to avoid OIS damage.

The company said; “high power or high volume motorcycle engines generate intense amplitude vibrations, which are transmitted through chassis and handlebars. It is not recommended to attach your iPhone to motorcycles with high-power or high-volume engines due to the amplitude of the vibration in certain frequency ranges that they generate.”

The warning note from Apple also showed the company’s faith in the durability of the OIS and closed-loop AF (autofocus) systems in iPhones but gave a recommendation to users to limit or altogether avoid exposing their iPhones to extended high-amplitude vibrations.

The company’s note read that while the OIS and AF systems in the iPhones are durable it should however be noted that “as is the case with many consumer electronics that include systems such as OIS, long-term direct exposure to high-amplitude vibrations within certain frequency ranges may degrade the performance of these systems and lead to reduced image quality for photos and videos.”

Users will have to stay alert when using their iPhone 14 and owners that have experienced the reported bug problem should stay away from using triggering apps until the problem is resolved. It is still unknown if third-party apps such as TikTok, Snapchat, and Instagram that are being affected by this bug will need to roll up specific updates or if the one from Apple will be enough.

The flagship iPhone 14 Pro Max has only been on the shelves since 16 September despite news of these reported problems. The new models of iPhone 14 have been equipped with a new feature an “emergency SOS by satellite” a first in the industry.

The feature will allow a user to send a short distress message via satellite and can be used even when the phone is outside mobile coverage. The new feature was launched and is only available in North America for now, but is designed to use a directional antenna to send the SOS and will take at least 15 seconds to be transmitted because of the low bandwidth of long-range satellite communications.