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Dodgy iPhone 6 Plus camera? Apple offers to fix defective devices for free

IPhone 6 Plus studio back camera2
Image used with permission by copyright holder
iPhone 6 Plus owners, listen up. If your apparent knack for taking fuzzy photos has caused you to question your picture-taking skills, then hold on, it might not be you.

Apple said Thursday it’s found that a “small percentage” of its iPhone 6 Plus devices have an issue with the rear camera that could result in “blurry” images. Devices with the fault were sold between September 2014 and January 2015, the company confirmed.

Though there are no details on the exact nature of the defect, it seems it may have something to do with the Plus’s optical image stabilization capability, a feature absent from the smaller iPhone 6.

Apple says that anyone with an affected phone can have the camera unit replaced free of charge.

So how do you know if your handset has the issue? Well, an abundance of blurry images should offer a big clue, though there’s also a surefire way to find out.

Simply visit this page on Apple’s website and enter your phone’s serial number in the eligibility box. You can find the serial number either by going to Settings/General/About on your phone, checking the packaging that came with the handset, or by connecting the device to iTunes and viewing the phone’s summary tab. If you still can’t find it, you’ll find detailed instructions here.

Once you have the serial number, enter it in the eligibility box and hit the submit button.

If your phone’s in need of repair, you’ll be told to take it to your nearest Apple Store or authorized Apple service provider, or to call Apple support for further guidance.

The company notes that carriers are not participating in the scheme, and advises affected users to back up their phone’s data before taking it for repair. In addition, it says that any additional issues, such as a cracked display, will have to be fixed before the phone’s camera can be replaced.

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Trevor Mogg
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