Skip to main content

iPhone camera can be damaged by motorcycle vibrations, Apple says

Apple has quietly added a new section to its support pages warning that motorcycle vibrations can damage an iPhone’s camera over time.

As per Apple: “Exposing your iPhone to high amplitude vibrations within certain frequency ranges, specifically those generated by high-power motorcycle engines, can degrade the performance of the camera system.”

The tech giant says affected phones include those with optical image stabilization, which means the iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6s Plus, and iPhone 7 and later including the iPhone SE 2 (the ultra-wide camera on the iPhone 11 and later doesn’t have optical image stabilization, nor does the telephoto camera on the iPhone 7 Plus and iPhone 8 Plus).

The issue also affects iPhones with closed-loop autofocus, which comes with the iPhone XS and later, including the iPhone SE 2.

Both features help you ensure your photos are sharp, while stabilization also serves to reduce shake in videos.

“High-power or high-volume motorcycle engines generate intense high-amplitude vibrations, which are transmitted through the chassis and handlebars,” Apple said in its new support post. “It is recommended to avoid exposing your iPhone to extended high-amplitude vibrations.”

In other words, if you want your iPhone camera to remain in the best shape possible, you should refrain from attaching your handset to motorcycles with high-power or high-volume engines.

Mopeds and scooters

Apple added that attaching an iPhone to vehicles with small-volume or electric engines, such as mopeds and scooters, could lead to “comparatively lower-amplitude vibrations,” and said that in these cases a vibration dampening mount is recommended to lessen the risk of damage to the phone and its systems. it also advised against using the phone on mopeds and scooters over prolonged periods.

As pointed out by MacRumors, which first spotted Apple’s new support post, a number of forum posts over recent years have discussed how motorcycle vibrations appeared to damage the camera technology on some iPhones.

The news will come as a major disappointment to bikers who like to use their iPhone for navigation. Whether future iPhone models can overcome the issue remains to be seen.

It’s not clear what prompted Apple to add the new post to its support pages now. We’ve reached out to the company for an answer and will update this article when we hear back.

Editors' Recommendations

Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
I really hope the iPhone 16 Pro Max doesn’t look like this
CAD render of the iPhone 16 Pro Max next to the iPhone 15 Pro Max.

We may still be waiting for Apple to announce the iPhone 15 series, but that hasn't stopped the iPhone 16 leaks from already trickling in. More specifically, new renders now provide a first glimpse at what 2024's iPhone 16 Pro Max could look like ... and it's a lot.

In collaboration with Apple leaker Sonny Dickson, 9to5Mac has published early CAD renders of the iPhone 16 Pro Max / iPhone 16 Ultra. The name of the device is still up in the air, but the renders showcase what the rumored 6.9-inch display will potentially look like.
The iPhone 16 Pro Max looks ginormous

Read more
I found a huge problem with the new ChatGPT iPhone app
ChatGPT app running on an iPhone.

Seemingly out of nowhere, OpenAI released its official ChatGPT iOS app this week. Available for both iPhones and iPads, the free app allows you to use the popular AI chatbot in a much simpler, easier way than ever before. No more messing with the mobile website or trying to fiddle with uncertain third-party apps — just download the official ChatGPT application, and you're good to go.

It's a big step forward to make ChatGPT more accessible and to get it into the hands of more people. Naturally, I was curious to test it out for myself. I've been using the ChatGPT iPhone app to ask the chatbot various questions, and while the whole thing works just like you'd expect, there's one big, glaring problem that makes me never want to touch the app again.
The ChatGPT iPhone app's biggest limitation
ChatGPT (left) vs. Perplexity AI (right) Digital Trends

Read more
Let’s be clear, Apple — it’s time to make a transparent iPhone
Deep Purple iPhone 14 Pro with Beats Studio Buds+ in Transparent

Apple has released a new product that's gotten a lot of attention because of an awesome new color option. No, it’s not an iPhone, iPad, or even an Apple Watch. Heck, it’s not even the AirPods Pro 2. So, what am I talking about?

Apple acquired Beats by Dre in 2014, and this week, Beats dropped the new Beats Studio Buds+, which are pretty similar to the AirPods Pro 2, but cost less dough. And they come in one of the coolest colors I’ve seen in a long time: transparent.

Read more