New iOS update fixes a massive iPhone 14 problem that users have complained about

Apple iPhone 14 camera array
(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

When the iPhone 14 series launched, lots of users immediately began complaining about a big issue: when you opened the camera using third-party apps, the picture would often shake and return blurry visuals, and sometimes even make grinding noises (leaving many to speculate that the phone's OIS was the culprit).

These issues didn't just occur on third-party apps designed solely for photography, though: Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and other such services became hard to use as a result.

However, it sounds like Apple has a fix on the way. A new version of iOS 16 has been spotted rolling out to phones, as listed in Apple's security updates log, which is referred to as iOS 16.0.2.

This update, which began rolling out on September 22, fixes the camera issue on iPhone 14 models, and also fixes a few other bugs like an issue with copy and pasting text between apps. 

So if you've been facing the third-party camera app problem, then simply updating to a newer form of iOS will help with that. To do so go into the Settings app, and in the General list select Software Update. If you're eligible for the update, it'll appear here.

Well, that's in theory, but we'll need to hear from early iPhone 14 adopters that the issue has gone away, before we believe it for good.

This update is good timing, as the iPhone 14 Plus hasn't even been released yet, so people who buy that large-body lower-cost phone will never even end up facing this camera-shake concern.

The Apple-fan corners of the internet were working themselves into a frenzy about this issue and we totally understand – if we couldn't use the 'Gram we'd be annoyed too. But hopefully, now that an update is rolling out, these handsets will be more deserving of their place on our list of the best smartphones.

Tom Bedford
Contributor

Tom Bedford was deputy phones editor on TechRadar until late 2022, having worked his way up from staff writer. Though he specialized in phones and tablets, he also took on other tech like electric scooters, smartwatches, fitness, mobile gaming and more. He is based in London, UK and now works for the entertainment site What To Watch.

He graduated in American Literature and Creative Writing from the University of East Anglia. Prior to working on TechRadar, he freelanced in tech, gaming and entertainment, and also spent many years working as a mixologist. He also currently works in film as a screenwriter, director and producer.