Apple Finally Made Camera Replacements Doable… But There's a Catch
This is hands-down the best and worst thing Apple has ever done. On one hand, thank you Apple, camera replacements are finally doable without sacrifices. But on the other hand? The process is straight-up ridiculous.
Let me walk you through it.
Step 1: Open It Up
Obviously, we’ve got to crack the iPhone open. That part? No problem. You know the drill, pry it up, pull the screen, unscrew a million things, and gently swap the camera.
So you’d think, “Cool, camera swapped, done, right?”
Wrong. Kind of.
Step 2: The Cameras Don’t Just Work
You’d assume the new cameras would just plug-and-play like any normal part. But with Apple? Of course not.
Even though they’ve finally made camera modules more affordable (huge win), not all the functions work right out of the box. You’ll still be able to open the Camera app, but advanced features like Portrait Mode, autofocus, or even ultra-wide might not behave properly.
To fix it, you have to do this…
Step 3: Recalibration Is a Whole Circus
If you’re running an iOS beta (which I was during filming), you're out of luck, it’s not supported. I couldn’t show it on my main phone for that reason, but I pulled out another one to demonstrate.
You need to recalibrate the cameras using Apple’s official Self Service Repair menu. Sounds simple enough… until you actually try it.
Here’s what the process looks like:
You launch the Self Service Repair tool.
The phone tells you to start recalibration.
Then it literally makes you spin in circles for like 10 minutes.
Sometimes the calibration tool just glitches out, and you have to start over from the beginning.
It’s like doing a choreographed dance just to get your iPhone to accept a new camera.
Final Thoughts
Look, I’m glad Apple is making parts like cameras cheaper to replace. Seriously, that’s a massive step in the right direction for right-to-repair.
But the hoops you still have to jump through? Wild. Spinning in circles for 10 minutes to get Portrait Mode back isn’t exactly user-friendly. Still, if you’re doing it yourself or running a repair shop, it’s totally doable—as long as you’re prepared for the extra steps.
Apple giveth, and Apple taketh away.
Bonus Tip:
If you’re planning to swap your iPhone camera, don’t update to the latest iOS beta just yet. It’ll block you from using the recalibration tool entirely.
Catch you in the next article. Hopefully with less spinning.
