Apple acknowledges iPhone 14 Pro camera bug, preps fix

(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

A disturbing iPhone 14 Pro camera bug has been confirmed by Apple and is getting a fix.

As reported by 9to5Mac and shared on YouTube and social media, Apple's iPhone 14 Pro camera system goes into almost uncontrollable shaking when used with a handful of third-party apps.

So uh, we’re having some issues with the 14 Pro Max camera pic.twitter.com/7HH1wLFjdFSeptember 16, 2022

In another video shared on YouTube, an iPhone 14 Pro owner is running TikTok while the iPhone 14 Pro camera system shakes violently enough to make the video almost blur and for the phone to make a buzzing sound. Similar videos were shared on Twitter by users of the app Snapchat, which is also affected.

We've used the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max, which shipped on September 16, extensively and with both apps and found no similar problems. However, the issue is serious and real enough that Apple acknowledged it in a statement to TechRadar.

"We’re aware of the issue and a fix will be released next week,” said an Apple spokesperson in an email.

There was no further detail on why this is happening or exactly what these users are seeing. Some iPhone 14 Pro customers have surmised that this is related to the optical image stabilization system, but it could just as easily be the system that switched between lenses for, say ultrawide and telephoto.

While it's concerning that Apple's new iPhone 14 line is suffering through an early, yet noticeable bug, Kudos to Apple for quickly acknowledging it and prepping a quick fix.

Considering the importance of the iPhone 14 Pro's new camera system (48MP pixel-binning sensor, new ultrawide camera, new 2X zoom option), a bug like this could make the phone essentially unusable.

There are some concerns that using the phone with these third-party apps while the shake occurs could lead to phone damage, but Apple offered no confirmation on that.

Still, while we wait for that fix, we think it might be best to use apps that don't cause the iPhone 14 Pro camera to shake.

If you're thinking about switching out from the iPhone, here's a list of our best phones of 2022.

A 38-year industry veteran and award-winning journalist, Lance has covered technology since PCs were the size of suitcases and “on line” meant “waiting.” He’s a former Lifewire Editor-in-Chief, Mashable Editor-in-Chief, and, before that, Editor in Chief of PCMag.com and Senior Vice President of Content for Ziff Davis, Inc. He also wrote a popular, weekly tech column for Medium called The Upgrade.

Lance Ulanoff makes frequent appearances on national, international, and local news programs including Live with Kelly and Ryan, the Today Show, Good Morning America, CNBC, CNN, and the BBC.