Magnetic Accessories Can Affect Your iPhone Camera

MagSafe was launched with the iPhone 12 and has increasingly become a popular way to attach iPhones to tripods, car windshields, power banks, and lighting accessories.

But as Engadget points out, some of the magnetized accessories can actually harm the performance of the iPhone camera.

With the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max pushing the envelope of smartphone photography even further thanks to a variable aperture and the 48-megapixel Fusion Main camera, mobile shooters may want to be aware of the potential problems magnets can cause.

The iPhone Camera Components Magnets Can Affect

Apple itself warns that magnetic accessories may affect the rear-facing camera system on an iPhone.

For example, most iPhones have optical image stabilization (OIS). OIS helps reduce camera shake by moving lens elements or the image sensor to compensate for unwanted movement. A gyroscope measures the camera’s rotational movement, providing data that helps the stabilization system respond accordingly. A magnet placed too close can affect this sensing system.

Another feature magnets can potentially affect is closed-loop autofocus (AF). This system uses sensor feedback to help maintain accurate focus, compensating for the effects of gravity and vibration that could otherwise cause the lens to shift and images to become blurry.

“With closed-loop AF, on-board accelerometers measure and compensate for gravity and vibration effects,” says Apple. “Magnetic sensors determine the lens position so that the compensating motion can be set accurately.”

Therein lies the problem: if another magnet is placed too close to these sensors, it can interfere with or temporarily disable the sensors.

Apple says the solution is to avoid accessories that place magnetic fields close to the rear-facing camera. The company warns that some third-party manufacturers make accessories with strong magnets that latch folio covers or are used for car mounts.

“For the best camera performance, avoid accessories that use magnets or magnetic metal near the iPhone rear cameras,” Apple adds.

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Image creditsHeader photo licensed via Depositphotos.