camera glitch after updating IOS 26.1

My camera doesn’t seem to work anymore after updating to IOS 26.1. It turns dark immediately I open the camera App. It’s impossible to take pictures with both front and back camera.

iPhone 13 Pro Max, iOS 26

Posted on Nov 7, 2025 6:44 AM

Top-ranking reply

BaundDoc

Level 1

20 points

Posted on Dec 13, 2025 4:11 AM

If the camera does not work even after a restart, it may indicate a hardware issue.

In my case, however, restarting the device or changing the system language temporarily restored the camera, but the issue reappeared after a few hours or a few days. When launching the Camera app, the preview appears briefly, becomes blurred (similar to the transition during lens switching), and then freezes after a few seconds.

Even after erasing the device and restoring from a backup, the problem reoccurred a few days later. Over time, the frequency of the issue gradually increased, which made it seem like something abnormal was progressing.

After that, I reset all settings and used the device with default settings only, and the problem has not recurred for over a week.

I have not yet identified which specific setting was responsible, but the non-default camera-related settings I previously used were:

• Video resolution set to 4K

• ProRAW controls enabled

• All “Preserve Settings” options enabled

• Liquid Glass disabled via Accessibility settings

Do any of you experiencing similar issues have these settings in common?

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47 replies

Dec 13, 2025 1:29 PM in response to Aba-Star

My variation is a bit different. After updating to 26.1, I have no problem with the normal camera on the back of the phone. However, when I take a picture with inside of the phone (selfie), lights in the background appear to be warped, as in a lightbulb will show with a horizontal “warp” line (think Starship enterprise) extending to the side of the screen. This ruins selfies. I didn’t have this issue until 3 days ago when I upgraded. Thoughts?