iPhone 14 Pro Owners Complain of 'Slow' Camera App

Some iPhone 14 Pro owners are having problems with the Camera app, with multiple complaints on the MacRumors forums suggesting that the camera can take several seconds to load when it is opened.

iphone 14 pro rear cameras
Affected users are seeing the Camera app take four to five seconds to activate after the Camera app icon is tapped, with the problem occurring after the camera has been opened once already. From MacRumors reader Sephiroth0:

I have the same issue with my iPhone 14 Pro (non Max). When restarting the phone and starting the camera app the camera turns on immediately. After closing and opening the camera app it always takes 4 - 5 seconds for the camera to turn on. I've tested other apps using the camera and there it it turns on instantly. I assume this is a SW bug.

The problem does not happen if the Camera app has been manually closed and reopened, or after a software restart. It seems to exclusively occur when the Camera app has been running in the background, and this is not a problem that appears to be affecting all users. The complaints are primarily from ‌iPhone‌ 14 Pro and Pro Max users, and it happens in all photo modes.

In our own testing, we ran into the same issue with the Camera app taking several seconds to open, but it did not happen every time that we opened the app, just on occasion. MacRumors readers have noticed that the issue is limited to the Camera app and does not affect third-party camera apps, and it also does not appear to happen when the Camera app is set to video mode instead of photo mode.

The iOS 16.0.1 update does not appear to fix the issue for those who are impacted. Restarting the ‌iPhone‌ does not provide a permanent fix, and neither does factory resetting the device. Some MacRumors readers have speculated that it could be a RAM management issue. From MacRumors forum member xyz2610, who also shared a video:

I've just discovered that it may be a RAM management issue with the camera app. When I clear my iPhone 14 Pro's RAM by first enabling Assistive Touch in the Accessibility Settings, then press Volume Up, Volume Down and hold the Power Button until the shutdown menu comes up and then long press the Home Button on the Assistive Touch menu to clear the RAM, the Camera App always launches quickly on the first try. For subsequent camera app launches, however, the app still takes around 5 seconds to open.

Slow loading is not the only issue affecting the Camera. ‌iPhone‌ 14 Pro models have also run into a static or clicking noise coming from the camera, and there is a major problem when recording video using third-party apps. In apps like Snapchat, TikTok, and Instagram, the camera vibrates uncontrollably, causing shaky footage. Unlike the slow loading Camera app, this issue is limited to third-party apps.

Multiple MacRumors readers have reported camera issues to Apple, and it is likely that a fix is in the works. We could soon see an iOS 16 update that will address the multitude of bugs that the new devices appear to be experiencing.

Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

iPadOS 26 App Windowing

Apple Explains Why iPads Don't Just Run macOS

Friday June 13, 2025 7:46 am PDT by
iPadOS 26 allows iPads to function much more like Macs, with a new app windowing system, a swipe-down menu bar at the top of the screen, and more. However, Apple has stopped short of allowing iPads to run macOS, and it has now explained why. In an interview this week with Swiss tech journalist Rafael Zeier, Apple's software engineering chief Craig Federighi said that iPadOS 26's new Mac-like ...
iphone 16 pro models 1

17 Reasons to Wait for the iPhone 17

Thursday June 12, 2025 8:58 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup. If you skipped the iPhone...
Logitech Logo Feature

Logitech Announces Two New Accessories for WWDC

Friday June 13, 2025 7:22 am PDT by
Alongside WWDC this week, Logitech announced notable new accessories for the iPad and Apple Vision Pro. The Logitech Muse is a spatially-tracked stylus developed for use with the Apple Vision Pro. Introduced during the WWDC 2025 keynote address, Muse is intended to support the next generation of spatial computing workflows enabled by visionOS 26. The device incorporates six degrees of...
iOS 26 Screens

Here Are All the iOS 26 Features That Require iPhone 15 Pro or Newer

Thursday June 12, 2025 4:53 am PDT by
With iOS 26, Apple has introduced some major changes to the iPhone experience, headlined by the new Liquid Glass redesign that's available across all compatible devices. However, several of the update's features are exclusive to iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 models, since they rely on Apple Intelligence. The following features are powered by on-device large language models and machine...
CarPlay Liquid Glass Dark

Apple to Let iPhone Users Watch Videos on CarPlay Screen While Parked

Thursday June 12, 2025 6:16 am PDT by
Apple this week announced that iPhone users will soon be able to watch videos right on the CarPlay screen in supported vehicles. iPhone users will be able to wirelessly stream videos to the CarPlay screen using AirPlay, according to Apple. For safety reasons, video playback will only be available when the vehicle is parked, to prevent distracted driving. The connected iPhone will be able to...
iOS 26 on Three iPhones

Hate iOS 26's Liquid Glass Design? Here's How to Tone It Down

Wednesday June 11, 2025 4:22 pm PDT by
iOS 26 features a whole new design material that Apple calls Liquid Glass, with a focus on transparency that lets the content on your display shine through the controls. If you're not a fan of the look, or are having trouble with readability, there is a step that you can take to make things more opaque without entirely losing out on the new look. Apple has multiple Accessibility options that ...
Mac Studio Feature

Apple Begins Selling Refurbished Mac Studio With M4 Max and M3 Ultra Chips at a Discount

Thursday June 12, 2025 10:14 am PDT by
Apple today added Mac Studio models with M4 Max and M3 Ultra chips to its online certified refurbished store in the United States, Canada, Japan, Singapore, and many European countries, for the first time since they were released in March. As usual for refurbished Macs, prices are discounted by approximately 15% compared to the equivalent new models on Apple's online store. Note that Apple's ...
iOS 26 Feature

Apple Seeds Revised iOS 26 Developer Beta to Fix Battery Issue

Friday June 13, 2025 10:15 am PDT by
Apple today provided developers with a revised version of the first iOS 26 beta for testing purposes. The update is only available for the iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 models, so if you're running iOS 26 on an iPhone 14 or earlier, you won't see the revised beta. Registered developers can download the new beta software through the Settings app on each device. The revised beta addresses an...
maxresdefault

Everything Apple Announced at WWDC 2025 in 10 Minutes

Monday June 9, 2025 5:21 pm PDT by
At today's WWDC 2025 keynote event, Apple unveiled a new design that will inform the next decade of iOS, iPadOS, and macOS development, so needless to say, it was a busy day. Apple also unveiled a ton of new features for the iPhone, an overhauled Spotlight interface for the Mac, and a ton of updates that make the iPad more like a Mac than ever before. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel ...

Top Rated Comments

kirk.vino Avatar
36 months ago
This might be some sort of a record for the number of issues during a new iPhone release.
Score: 37 Votes (Like | Disagree)
brian3uk Avatar
36 months ago
I've said it before and I'll say it again. Apple needs to stop trying to release new hardware and major iOS versions at the same time. They clearly cannot manage to do them simultaneously. Release the new phones with stable software and then do the upgrade later. Save everyone a lot of headaches.
Score: 34 Votes (Like | Disagree)
F23 Avatar
36 months ago
all the iPhone 14 pro issues seem to come from iOS 16 being a mess, not the hardware itself. so at least the issues can be fixed
Score: 26 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TroyBoy30 Avatar
36 months ago
no prob here
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
LogicalApex Avatar
36 months ago
Works fine for me on my iPhone 14 Pro 512GB.

Not that it helps those impacted. Hopefully it gets sorted soon.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Paddle1 Avatar
36 months ago
Is iOS 17 going to have to be another optimization release like iOS 12?
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)