How to fix the rear iSight camera in your iPhone: The ultimate guide

July 27, 2014

If the rear iSight camera on your iPhone either isn't working or shows imperfections in photos, it's possible that the camera assembly itself is defective or damaged. While defects typically just arise for no reason, a damaged iSight camera could be caused from a hard fall. Typical symptoms of a broken or defective iSight camera include a blacked out screen when trying to take a picture, purple or blue blemishes on the screen that also appear in the resulting photo, and lines going through the screen either while snapping photos or that just appear in the final photo. What iPhone you have will dictate how difficult a DIY repair will be. Luckily, we've got the guide you need to get the job done from start to finish!

How to replace the rear iSight camera in an iPhone 5

The iPhone 5 has been one of the only iPhone models that seems overly prone to camera issues with many users reporting purple blemishes on photos. You can easily verify you have this issue by launching the Camera app and aiming your iPhone 5 at a white surface. If you see a purple blemish somewhere on the screen, it's a defect in the lens and will need to be replaced. Other issues could also include extreme fringing or lens flare, which could signal that the camera needs to be reseated correctly inside the housing. Regardless of the issue, we can walk you through how to replace the entire assembly on your own.

How to replace the rear iSight camera in an iPhone 5

How to replace a broken rear camera in an iPhone 4s

The iPhone 4s rear camera is a pretty simple repair to perform. First you'll need to be sure that you are replacing the correct part. If the lens cover itself is cracked, you actually need to replace the back panel, which is even easier. However, if you're experiencing other issues such as pixelated images, lines through the screen, or the camera shutter won't open at all and freezes when you launch the Camera app, you'll need a replacement camera assembly. Luckily, that isn't that hard to replace either. Hit the links below for both guides to determine which repair you need.

How to replace the rear camera in an iPhone 4

The iPhone 4 is very similar to the iPhone 4s and contains a camera assembly that is replaced almost the exact same way. Actually, the same symptoms are normally present with an iPhone 4. And just like before, if the camera is hazy or the lens cover is cracked, you'll need to replace the back cover, not the actual camera assembly itself. Hit the guides below to determine which you need to replace.

How to replace the rear camera in an iPhone 3G or iPhone 3GS

If you've still got an iPhone 3G or iPhone 3GS laying around, a replacement camera is pretty cheap nowadays. While there didn't seem to be too many complains about the iPhone 3G or iPhone 3GS camera, it was possible to dislodge it or for the lens itself to break due to a bad fall. If you feel like tinkering, the iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS aren't very hard to DIY repair. We can walk you step by step through a camera replacement, complete with links to parts.

How to replace the rear camera in an iPhone 3G or iPhone 3GS

Even more iPhone repair guides

Don't have a broken camera but need to fix something else? We've got those guides too! Whether you're rocking an iPhone 5s or an iPhone 4s, we can help you get any issue you may have in working order again! Just hit the following link for a complete list of all our DIY repair and hardware info!