Failing iSight: Apple replaces blurry iPhone 6 Plus cameras

Apple has offered to replace the iSight cameras inside a “small percentage” of iPhone 6 Plus handsets, after discovering a flaw that can make photos look blurry. Apple hasn’t revealed the precise nature of the flaw or the number of handsets affected, but says it will replace cameras inside faulty phones free of charge.

The faulty handsets were primarily sold between September 2014 and January 2015, the first few months that the iPhone 6 Plus went on sale. Why it has taken almost a year to discover and replace the faulty cameras is a mystery. 

Apple has published a web page dedicated to the replacement of the faulty cameras. Users are invited to select their country from a drop-down menu and enter their iPhone’s serial number to see if they are affected by the replacement scheme. The United Kingdom is on the list of eligible countries.

Owners of faulty units are invited to have the camera replaced at an Apple Store, via an authorised service provider or to send the faulty handset back to Apple. The company warns that the phone “will be examined prior to any service to verify that it is eligible for this program and in working order”. Apple adds that damage such as a cracked screen may impair its ability to perform the repair, and that owners will need to have the screen replaced before a camera repair can take place, which may incur an additional charge. Users are also warned to back up their phone’s data before sending it in for repair.

The flaw only affects the super-sized iPhone 6 Plus and not the regualr iPhone 6. Apple is likely to announce new iPhone 7 models next month.