Smartphone camera does not focus: what to do

Method for determining whether you have focusing problems

Any modern gadget with a camera is equipped with an electronic and mechanical focus control. The principle of focusing is that the phone system carefully studies surrounding factors, for example, the degree of illumination, distance to the object and other elements, and then independently adjusts the camera based on calculations.

Consequently, defocus may occur due to technical and software errors. Owners of budget phones should not be upset, because this problem occurs even on flagship devices.

To make sure your phone's camera is working, you need to check its level of accuracy. There are several reliable methods for this, one of which can be used at home. The user will need to take a blank landscape sheet and perform the following manipulations:

Place the phone in a stationary position. You can use a tripod or book stand.
Take a landscape sheet and stand in front of the camera so that the lens completely captures the torso.
Gradually step back until the camera captures the user's full height. Fixation of third-party objects should not be allowed.

Healthy! This diagnostic method is called manual. During the procedure, the owner of the phone allows the lens to extend to its full length. If any mechanical defect is present, the camera will jam on the problem area.

Camera focusing does not work: where to turn?

If you notice that your phone's camera doesn't focus, don't delay repairs. The resulting malfunction will not allow you to take high-quality photographs. This is a real tragedy for those who love to capture memorable moments with their smartphones. Do-it-yourself repairs will only worsen an already problematic situation. A breakdown of any complexity can be repaired at the service center. Choose a time-tested company, which is Mobilap Repair.

We approach each client responsibly, listen carefully, conduct free diagnostics, and tell you why the phone camera stopped working properly. We will perform high-quality repairs within a few hours. The time it takes to complete a repair operation depends on the severity of the breakdown. We accept payment only after successful restoration of the smartphone. We provide guarantees for all types of services for a period of up to 1 year.

Type of errors

There are many errors that can be caused by hardware or software failures. Before identifying the problem, you should ensure that the surrounding conditions are compatible:

The camera does not respond well in low contrast or monotonous background conditions. In this case, you need to add flowers.
If the subject to be captured is too close to the camera, the focus will not work. To check, you can move 5-7 meters from the camera.

When the above steps do not help restore focus, you should check your phone for the following errors.

Integrated camera app error

Typically, this problem occurs for a number of the following reasons:

Accumulation of large amounts of garbage. To do this, you will need to go to the application settings and delete the cache.
The software is outdated. The user will need to reinstall or update the smartphone operating system.
System failure. To confirm a system failure, you can use a third-party snapshot utility. If focusing works in this case, then you will need to reflash the phone.
Incompatibility of installed programs. Often, smartphone users use third-party apps to take photos. Many such programs negatively affect the operation of the standard utility.

Error in camera settings

Some advanced smartphones have an option that allows you to fix the focal length. In this case, the focus will only work at a certain distance set in the application settings. This tool is designed for creating creative photos. If this option is enabled, you need to disable it and recheck the focus.

Error in system settings

This option should be resorted to in cases where the above sections are not useful. The user will need to examine the system settings. The problem is that after installing a large number of applications, the OS gradually loses its performance, which can lead to software errors. The only way out is to reinstall the software or reset to the factory configuration.

Technical errors

If such circumstances arise, an inexperienced user will not be able to do anything. Any of the elements in the phone can fail at the hardware level, so in this case you will need to contact a repair center.

Mechanical deformation

There are several options for such damage:

Damage to internal camera components. The described incident occurs as a result of a fall or strong impact of the lens on a foreign object. Otherwise, the camera will completely stop functioning.
Damage to the lens. Focusing will not work even if dirt or grease gets on the lens. If scratches occur, the element will have to be replaced.

Use your mobile in safe mode

You can try using Safe Mode to see if recently installed apps are causing the camera focusing issue .

Generally, the process is identical in most mobile devices and to access this mode, you must press and hold the Power button and the Side key while starting the mobile phone. When the mobile phone is turned on, "Safe Mode" will appear at the bottom left corner of the screen, and you can check whether the camera focus works in this mode. In this case, uninstall recently installed applications and restart your phone.

Methodology for troubleshooting software errors

When you turn on the photo application on your smartphone, the system uses many resources to calculate environmental parameters. Consequently, if the device does not have enough resources, in our case RAM or internal memory, the application will slowly read information and process the image poorly. Also, do not forget that focus may be lost due to the following factors:

Activation of manual mode.
Incorrect system or camera application settings.
Incompatibility of third party programs.
OS system errors.
Errors occur in standard services and applications.

Whatever type of error occurs, to protect your device and restore full functionality of the camera, you should follow these steps:

Perform a normal reboot of the phone. After turning on, you should turn on the camera again and check the focus.
Clean your phone from malware, temporary files, third-party applications and junk. It is worth taking care of sufficient memory on your phone.
Deactivate manual mode in the camera app. The priority should be the standard shooting option.
In the camera application settings, reset to factory configuration.
Reset your mobile phone to factory settings using standard services. Before the procedure, you must make a backup copy of your data, save the numbers and copy media content to an external memory drive.
Find a new version of software for your phone. This operation can be performed in the device settings, software update section.
From time to time, due to automatic software updates, some OS components may not function properly. The camera app that most often suffers from this is the camera app. You can correct the situation by rolling back the operating system. To do this, you need to use your phone settings. The next step is to be sure to disable automatic updates.
Perform a factory reset via the boot menu.
Try out third-party snapshot apps. To download specialized programs, you can use the official Play Market store.
Reinstall the software yourself.

Camera focus is lost - clean the camera lens on your phone

If your phone's webcam is losing focus and causing blurry photos and videos, try cleaning the lens on your device.

You can use a dry microfiber cloth or a damp cloth to clean your monitors and glasses.

After completing the above, check whether these actions led to the result - this is a fairly common case, but not the only one.

If the problem persists, continue to the next step. “Stepping like this” you will get to the truth and solve the problem on your Samsung or other phone.

Main causes of failure

This function can fail for two main reasons: software and hardware. The first involves changing the device settings, and the second involves violating the integrity or performance of individual parts of the camera. First of all, make sure that you have not accidentally switched to manual focus setting mode and that all device settings correspond to those before the breakdown. Another reason why focusing does not work is that various parts of the device are damaged. The main ones include:

Sand or other small particles getting into the lens;
Focusing motor failure (lubricant thickening, water ingress, etc.);
The focusing lens position sensor or the lens position sensor does not work.

Eliminating these breakdowns is more labor-intensive and requires special specialist training. The focusing motor and focusing lens are part of one complex system. They are extremely small, and it is very difficult to fix such a breakdown on your own, without the help of a professional. The principle of their operation is as follows: the lens is located on a rotating shaft, which is adjusted using gears connected to a motor. Depending on the position of these components, the focal distance to the object also changes.

Nothing helped?

If the camera, as before, refuses to work normally, then the problem is not in the system, but in damage to the device itself. In this case, you should not do anything yourself, but rather contact the Apple customer service center, where they will diagnose and repair the camera, if necessary.

Our whole life consists of memories. We carefully store them in memory, periodically fishing out the most pleasant and positive moments. For a long time now, cameras have been helping us in this matter. A well-taken photograph can convey to us a variety of sensations: subtle human emotions, the beauty of nature or the violence of the elements. An important help in this matter is the ability of photographic equipment to focus, i.e. to highlight the sharpness of a certain zone or object. But what to do if your camera suddenly stops “catching focus” and the whole image looks cloudy and blurry?