High-powered motorcycle vibrations might impact iPhone camera

  • This seems like something that could be detected while it’s happening (*). Maybe iPhones could warn users before lasting damage occurs?

    (*) Edit: I was assuming that damage to the camera accumulates over time. If it happens on short time scales or as a single event as nicce's reply seems to suggest, this renders the notification idea moot ofcourse.

  • I live about 5 miles (on the same road) as the local Harley Davidson dealership and would love it if HD riders left the stock pipes on their bikes. While the engines do vibrate, don't dismiss the additional concussive force of an unmuffled exhaust.

  • This is well known. Popular/good mount manufacturers have offered vibration dampeners for some time now.

    https://www.quadlockcase.com/products/vibration-dampener

    https://hondogarage.com/products/buzz-kill-vibration-isolato...

  • Road bikes too. I wrecked my iPhone 8’s autofocus after riding ~1000 miles with it on a handlebar mount. Obviously there’s no engine vibration but chip-and-seal roads have a similar effect.

  • It isn't just iPhone, and it can happen on any motorcycle regardless of the engine size or power. The OIS in my Pixel 4a is destroyed from using a mount for less than an hour.

  • The camera becomes blurry and shaky - completely useless. It's a common and well known issue if you happen to mount the phone on your handlebars (do NOT do this). I have several friends who've had this happen in the last year. All the way up to 12 Pro.

  • > Attaching your iPhone to vehicles with small-volume or electric engines, such as mopeds and scooters, may lead to comparatively lower-amplitude vibrations.

    No superbikes for you Apple users :D - recoils in anticipation of onslaught of downvotes -

    In all fairness I expect it's going to be difficult to design anything with such small delicate moving parts to be invulnerable to arbitrary frequency vibrations. It can also be challenging to accurately model the resonant frequency response of composite "stuff" prior to manufacturing it (many bridges have failed). Better luck with the next model I guess...

  • Their explanation seems legit but I do wonder how Apple would handle warranty claims to damages done to the camera system from strong vibrations.

    Like, does the iPhone internally log strong vibrations sensed through the gyro/accelerometer to invalidate warranty claims?

    I'm asking since most phones also have moisture stickers inside to invalidate warranty claims to to water damage.

  • This is a great thread by a motorcycle and iPhone camera enthusiast detailing the problems that can arise from broken sensor-shift and OIS modules

    https://twitter.com/sdw/status/1436657008904740866

  • I killed at least three iPhone cameras this way with my KTM 690.

  • ‘Dampening’ - it’s damping not dampening.

  • I wonder what the signs of degradation are? I use my phone attached to my handle bars and the phone shakes so much that I can have the camera app open and see the picture vibrating, it won’t actually let me take a picture or video. If I start the video then the bike it will record but blurry. I’m on an iPhone 8 so might have older camera less sensitive to this.

  • Rigid car phone holders routinely fall off for me thanks to frequent potholes in India. The ones with adjustable shoulder and elbow joint shake violently but don't dislodge, as an inadvertent feature. Its time for new generation of phone mounts.

  • This exact thing happened to my friends who goes on a cycle trip daily. He had his samsun s8+ attached to the habdlebar. The phone is damaged now - camera shakes, can't focus, etc.

  • Years ago I had the vibrator in my phone go out as a result of being on my handlebars. Was really surprised to not see something about this come out earlier tbh.

  • This happened to my Samsung S20 Ultra camera ($1500~) and Samsung refused to even look at it. I think they're aware.

  • If a handlebar can kill a phone, has anyone else wondered what it can do to one's hands and arms?

  • Well, yeah, violent shaking of the internal components can damage them.

  • Just put it in foam inside a case.

  • Yep, killed two on my thumper.

  • Buy a gopro then?

  • "Attaching your iPhone to vehicles with small-volume or electric engines, such as mopeds and scooters, may lead to comparatively lower-amplitude vibrations, but if you do so a vibration dampening mount is recommended."

    Oh boy I can see it now: Apple to unveil $500 All Aluminum Motorcycle Mounting Kit with vibration dampening sensors and hyper shock absorbing rubber.

    Then we watch them do something incredibly stupid like pair the mounts to phones so you can't just unhook it and let a friend borrow it.

  • ICE motorbikes seem like the most obvious type of vehicle to immediately mandate 100% EV, with an aggressive target like 12 months (to clear out existing inventory).

    The segment and vehicles themselves are small enough that this changeover can be made fairly easily, with immense benefits for noise pollution in cities.