Dimapur, September 12 (EMN): In a post on its official website, Apple announced that its iPhone cameras might 'degrade' if subjected to high-amplitude vibrations, "specifically those generated by high-power motorcycle engines."
Apple recommends against mounting iPhones directly to the chassis or handlebars, as the vibrations could be transmitted strongly this way.
On its blog, Apple wrote, "High-power or high-volume motorcycle engines generate intense high-amplitude vibrations, which are transmitted through the chassis and handlebars. It is not recommended to attach your iPhone to motorcycles with high-power or high-volume engines due to the amplitude of the vibration in certain frequency ranges that they generate."
The problem is apparently affecting iPhones with optical image stabilisation (OIS) or closed-loop autofocus (AF) which includes the iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, and all iPhones since the iPhone 7.
The gyroscopes and/or magnetic sensors in the OIS system are designed to help compensate for movement and vibration when shooting photos or videos.
However, long term exposure to high-amplitude vibrations such as those generated by high-power motorcycles may degrade the performance of the OIS and lead to reduced image quality and videos.
"The OIS and closed-loop AF systems in iPhone are designed for durability. However, as is the case with many consumer electronics that include systems like OIS, long-term direct exposure to high-amplitude vibrations within certain frequency ranges may degrade the performance of these systems and lead to reduced image quality for photos and videos. It is recommended to avoid exposing your iPhone to extended high-amplitude vibrations," Apple wrote.
Additionally, Apple recommends that users mounting their devices to lower-powered devices like mopeds and electric scooters should at least use a vibration-dampening mount to minimise the potential damage to their iPhone cameras.