Fix iPhone Wide-angle Camera Optical Filter Damage

When I open an iPhone camera and take photos with the wide-angle camera, cracks appear. The ultra-wide camera works fine. I suppose that the optical filter of the wide-angle camera is damaged.

Camera replacement always be expensive and the camera can be easily damaged if dropped during daily use. In addition, Apple has encrypted the camera of the iPhone 12 series and later models.

So if the camera is changed, the “Important Camera Message” will pop up.

So, I will share with you the repair case about my optical filter of the iPhone wide-angle camera and walk you through some knowledge of iPhone camera repair.

Basic Preparation Camera Repair Tool Kit

Disassemble the phone and try to repair the camera

1. In the first place, disassemble the phone and put the camera on the specialized Heating Platform at 100 °C. When the temperature reaches 100 °C, remove black adhesive around the camera with a Sculpture Knife.

Then pry up the wide-angle camera and attach the camera to the specialized holder. 

2. Before repair, apply protection tape to the camera. Separate the camera edges with a Sculpture Knife. Next, remove the metal cover with YIHUA 8509 Hot Air Gun at 120 °C. Keep heating with Hot Air Gun at 120 °C. Remove  black adhesive with Tweezers.

Apply some Paste Flux. Separate the motor from the CMOS with ultrathin Soldering Iron at 380 °C.

It can be seen that the optical filter is broken while the motor and blue lens are good. If the motor is damaged, the camera will fail to focus or shake. A motor replacement can help you solve the problem.

The middle part of the motor is the blue lens. If the blue lens is damaged, the camera will become blurry. The solution is to replace the blue lens.

3. Replace the cracked optical filter with a new one. Apply some UV adhesive to the broken optical filter under the Trinocular Microscope. Put the new optical filter in position. Solidify with a UV Lamp.Remove side adhesive with Hot Air Gun.

Then push the cracked optical filter out with the specialized holder. Remove residual shards and black adhesive with Hot Air Gun.

Then remove dust spots with a specialized swab. Please be extremely careful not to damage the CMOS during operation. If the CMOS is damaged, the camera will be unrepairable. Then apply some UV adhesive and a new optical filter.  Solidify with UV Lamp.

 
4. Then we assemble the camera. Apply some Paste Flux around the motor. Solder the motor with the CMOS with Soldering Iron. Clean the camera with alcohol. Next, we install the wide-angle camera for testing. The camera works fine.

Apply B7000 to fix the wide angle camera. That’s all for the optical filter replacement of iPhone camera.

The camera is one of the biggest highlights in smartphones. The R&D of camera and performance improvement are important projects for major phone manufacturers.

Apple's iPhone is known for its prowess in camera development. iPhone has grown from featuring an original 2-megapixel rear camera to a current 12-megapixel rear triple-camera.

The operations shown in the video are performed need experienced technicians. Since there is some possibility that the camera might be damaged due to improper operation.

If you need repair tools for iPhone & Android, please don’t hesitate to contact us and you can buy the tools used in this blog from our online shop.