Seeing Purple Halo In Your iPhone 5 Photos? Apple Explains Why [Official Statement]

Some reports from last week pointed out that Apple’s support staff is responding via emails to users complaining about a ‘purple lens flare’ or halo showing up in photos taken with their iPhone 5’s camera, when pointed at or near bright light sources. Now, Apple has responded with a public support document addressing and explaining the issue, notes MacRumors.

While the purple halo effect (shown above) is not exclusive to the iPhone 5, it has caused concern for some users. According to Apple’s engineers, the issue is in fact normal and users are advised to point their iPhones away from bright light sources when taking photos. Below is Apple’s official statement:

“Most small cameras, including those in every generation of iPhone, may exhibit some form of flare at the edge of the frame when capturing an image with out-of-scene light sources. This can happen when a light source is positioned at an angle (usually just outside the field of view) so that it causes a reflection off the surfaces inside the camera module and onto the camera sensor. Moving the camera slightly to change the position at which the bright light is entering the lens, or shielding the lens with your hand, should minimize or eliminate the effect”.

Even though Apple has added several enhancements to the iPhone 5 camera, it is essentially the same as found in iPhone 4S. However, that does not mean that same phenomenon can not be observed in older iPhone models.

Have you noticed any purple lens flare in your iPhone camera photos? If yes, let us know which iPhone model you’re using!