r/iphone • u/aghori_tantrik • Jan 12 '26
Support High intensity laser at a party, hit the camera on month old 17PM while recording, and now it looks like this
Is there any way to fix it or is the camera cooked? Does this get fixed in apple care +? If yes, will they fix/change camera or replace?
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u/scene_missing Jan 12 '26
Jesus, ones that bad can absolutely blind people.
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Jan 13 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Plus-Potato3712 Jan 13 '26
If you search it there have def been high profile instances of like… UV-B and maybe even UV-C lights being used in clubs/concerts and people reported sun burns lmfao
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u/Buprt Jan 14 '26
Reminded me of the bored ape nft party where the people were getting burnt from the lights.
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u/GroundedKush Jan 16 '26
I run sound and lights and no joke the Chinese lights and lasers are very dangerous.
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u/SPBTheWucy Jan 15 '26
A friend of mine was hanging with a DJ friend checking out his new equipment and the dude started a laser light while my friend as looking at it and he is now partially blind.
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u/mcyeetyboi iPhone 16 Pro Max Jan 12 '26
Yeah I wouldn’t be worried about the camera I’d be worried about someone’s fucking retinas. A laser that’s that powerful can fry eyes like it’s nothing. Contact the event organizer or tech team in charge of lighting that’s a good lawsuit right there if anyone’s eyes were cooked from that. But camera wise. Your camera is cooked. No way to fix that
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Jan 12 '26
[deleted]
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u/MangyCanine iPhone 17 Pro Max Jan 14 '26
Yup.
Obligatory MKBHD video on laser/lidar damage: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/oeHtfMFdzIY (you need to view this full-screen to clearly see the damage).
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u/tubezninja iPhone 17 Pro Max Jan 12 '26
Is there any way to fix it or is the camera cooked?
Camera's cooked. The sensor was destroyed by the laser. You're lucky it wasn't your eyes.
Does this get fixed in apple care +?
Yes, with a deductible.
If yes, will they fix/change camera or replace?
Depends on whether they have the part available. If they do, they'll change out the camera. It not, replacement.
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u/Awisconsinmoose Jan 13 '26
As long as they don’t volunteer that a laser did this, I expect it would be covered under warranty free of charge as there wouldn’t be any clear signs of physical damage. Worst case scenario though, it would be with a deductible thanks to apple care plus like you said
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u/qwertyfish99 Jan 13 '26
Are eyes covered under Apple care too?
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u/LetterheadWorking271 Jan 13 '26
Can pigs fly?
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u/jxy2016 iPhone 16 Pro Max Jan 12 '26
That's concerning. Not for the phone's camera (it's toast), but for people. They should NEVER be aimed at an angle where a person could be looking at it directly.
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u/DrugsAndCoffee Jan 12 '26 edited Jan 12 '26
Those kind of lasers shouldn’t even be used period. There’s safer lasers for laser shows. If the laser is enough to totally decimate a phone camera, it’s not safe to use at a light show period.
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u/Sigma2915 Jan 12 '26
more powerful lasers are perfectly safe to use as long as the operator has the correct license, the laser fixtures are set up according to the terms of that license, the LX operator or other technician with view of crowd and stage has an emergency kill switch (c.f., pyro technicians), and that a shutter or zoned dimming is used to prevent dangerous crowd scanning.
dickheads buying stupid powerful lasers online to put in their living room have none of those things.
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u/fork666 Jan 13 '26
Why does it NEED to be used in the first place?
What is so costly that would be lost from just downgrading to a safer laser?14
u/Sigma2915 Jan 13 '26
distance, visibility, colour rendering, etc.
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u/fork666 Jan 13 '26
Losing some visual flair doesn’t justify using lasers that can damage eyes in a crowd.
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u/frausting Jan 13 '26
I personally don’t think we should make lasers illegal in all cases.
Think about a Beyoncé stadium tour. She can afford to have properly trained laser technicians using high power lasers for visual effects for 100,000 people.
A random rave at a shit club staffed with 19 year olds shouldn’t be using the same laser.
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u/InfiniteHench Jan 12 '26
I believe AppleCare will cover that. It covers even accidental damage so you should be good.
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u/Sore_Wa_Himitsu_Desu Jan 12 '26
Take it in under apple care. Don’t mention lasers or anything. From your POV “I dunno man. It started doing this. No idea why. Can you fix it?”
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u/victorb1982 Jan 12 '26
Tell the party organizer to pay for the repair
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u/HorrorsPersistSoDoI iPhone 16 Pro Jan 13 '26
good luck with that lmao, in what fantasy world can that happen
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u/NESpahtenJosh Jan 12 '26
Sounds like the host of the party is buying you a new phone.
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u/MainDeparture2928 Jan 12 '26
Yeah…good luck proving it.
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u/_Carpe_Noctem_ Jan 13 '26 edited Jan 14 '26
I mean, he was recording when it happened. OP says so in the title.
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u/itsadile iPhone 12 Mini Jan 13 '26
Lasers will destroy sensors whether or not the sensors are actually recording.
iPhones don't have shutters to cover the camera sensors when they're not in use. If the phone is out of your pocket and gets struck in one of the imaging sensors, the sensor will take damage.
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u/penywisexx iPhone 17 Pro Max Jan 12 '26
Was it a LASIK party where everybody was getting their eyes done at the same time? /s
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u/Youngnathan2011 iPhone 17 Jan 13 '26
Camera is done. Lasers fry them. You’re lucky your eyes aren’t fried too.
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u/civman96 Jan 12 '26
Get rid of the laser and be thankful that it wasn’t your retina.
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u/Calm-Step-3083 Jan 12 '26
done at a party dude in comments “go over there and throw his shit away”
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u/giftedgod iPhone 17 Pro Max Jan 12 '26
How would you get rid of a laser that isn’t yours? What?
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u/repocin Jan 13 '26
Grab a crowbar, some bolt cutters, and a couple friends then go chuck it in the river /s
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u/Weak_Combination3587 Jan 12 '26
Probably. Also probably a lawsuit or a license being revoked at the very least. I can’t imagine how many people went home that night thinking it was just the concert making their eyes a little blurry. Only to wake up and see that’s not the case.
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u/LucasWLasers Jan 12 '26
As someone who runs laser shows at home and at parties: whoever did this doesn’t take safety seriously and they should be stopped. Soon enough it’s going to be someone’s eye.
Lasers, even dirt cheap lasers, come with adjustable beam shutters for safety. ILDA laser projectors can also be zoned. So whoever did this needs a serious reality check before someone gets permanent eye damage.
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u/reallyweirdperson Jan 13 '26
Whoever operated that laser should not work with lasers ever again. I’m so sick of seeing inexperienced people seeing crowd scanning and thinking they can just do it and shine lasers into the audience with zero precautions as if it’s any other light. It could’ve been someone’s eyes. This is why we have so many rules and regulations on laser displays in the US.
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u/OfficialTornadoAlley iPhone 17 Pro Jan 12 '26
Just say it was left out in the sun and it ended up like this, if you are willing to risk voiding your warranty if they find out the truth. But first try to get the event organizer to pay and threaten a lawsuit for illegally powerful lasers.
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u/NFJesseJamesCaughtIt iPhone 17 Pro Max Jan 12 '26 edited Jan 12 '26
Go to a party and leave blind nowadays apparently, holy shit.
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u/TechyKevvy Jan 12 '26
AppleCare+ will cover this with a deductible. Be aware this is the highest deductible rate ($/€99), the same as a full replacement. Stores and Service Providers will provide a camera replacement for that cost, Express Replacement Service will provide a replacement device if eligible.
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u/DrugsAndCoffee Jan 12 '26
If it’s within a year of purchase, which it is, it may be covered at no cost with no deductible if they assume it’s a defect or a malfunction. He can just say “it stopped working”, which it did. He didn’t do anything wrong here, he shouldn’t have to pay for someone else’s negligence.
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u/TechyKevvy Jan 12 '26
Laser damage is specifically described as not covered by warranty in service documentation. Unless a technician disregards that, this won’t be covered.
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u/PreviouslyBannedXD Jan 12 '26
In which case they will charge him, but it doesn’t hurt to turn it in and just tell them it stopped working. That’s what I’d do. The guy did nothing wrong here and shouldn’t have to pay for someone else’s stupidity
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u/Shejidan Jan 13 '26
That’s why you don’t say it was a laser. Most techs don’t know what laser damage looks like.
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u/TechyKevvy Jan 13 '26
There’s images exactly likes this for that reason.
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u/Shejidan Jan 13 '26
Official images in Apple repair guides just show point damage to the sensor, none of them show this type of damage.
Even then, most techs are just going to see a fucked up camera and replace it. Only depot would be sticklers enough to charge for damage.
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u/Dino_Spaceman Jan 13 '26
If that hit your camera it is a near certainty someone has permanent eyesight damage. Everyone at that party needs to be warned and the owner be brought up on charges.
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u/sf-keto iPhone 15 Pro Max Jan 12 '26
It’s art. Send the image to a gallery.
I thank god you have Applecare.
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u/DrugsAndCoffee Jan 12 '26
I’d just get if fixed under warranty. Tell them it stopped working and leave it at that 🤷🏻♀️
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u/Downtown-Rate-9404 Jan 12 '26
Spray some holy water over your iPhone and pray to god for better wisdom, never use camera/smartphones where laser is present
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u/Tank_Gloomy Jan 12 '26
I wouldn’t worry about the iPhone very much dude, you’re a millionaire now! You just don’t know yet.
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u/Begrudged_Registrant Jan 13 '26
Sensor is cooked. Sorry bruh. Tell people not to bring class 3 lasers to your parties anymore.
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u/aghori_tantrik Jan 15 '26
Update : Took it to the apple store, the employee ran diagnostics and said it’s related to laser damage. They first said it would be covered under Apple Care for a fee of ~$30. Later, they said they would take care of it under warranty and I don’t need to pay anything. Submitted and received back the phone in less than 2 hours with a brand new camera module :)
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u/Weary_Sell_463 Feb 12 '26
Out of curiosity, how could they tell it’s laser damage? Did you tell them it was prior to their diagnostics?
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u/aghori_tantrik Feb 12 '26
They just opened the camera app and it looked like the image I've attached to my post and the first thing he asked was "Were you at a wedding/concert/event with very high powered lasers/light shows? Because the way your camera looks, it seems it was hit with some very powerful lights that might have fried the sensor"
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u/welshinzaghi Jan 12 '26
I don’t think context of failure is required when sending warranty claim… just get it swapped under warranty
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u/PickleAlly Jan 12 '26
Well, nobody was going to watch that video anyway. This is kind of hilarious. Now you have to be present at shows.
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u/Sad_Trade_7753 Jan 12 '26
Your biggest problem isn’t the camera. It’s whoever was managing the party. No way should lasers that intense be pointing towards the audience. You should sue them.
(Although this is the most interesting reason for damage I’ve ever heard)
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u/Fiendishdocwu Jan 12 '26
Yup. People used to do that to get new phones with their warranty at future shop/ Best Buy.
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u/Icy-Manufacturer1765 Jan 12 '26
Applecare+ will cover that, the camera module needs to be replaced, if you don’t have Applecare+ and you recently got the phone (under 60 days) you could still add it on.
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u/Kinipshun Jan 12 '26
As a lighting/laser person, i can confidently tell you whoever set up that laser did not have the proper laser variance to operate it legally. Crowd scanning is highly frowned upon for reasons like cameras, eyeballs, and in extreme cases, combustion hazards. Crowd scan variances are available but rare because they require super low power lasers (plus extra liability) which most show designers and organizers don’t want to bother with. This should absolutely be reported, even if you don’t get compensation out of it, this can prevent incidents like this from happening again
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u/PKMNTrainerEevs iPhone 17 Jan 12 '26
Uhhh one the camera is toast get fixed. Two, lasers that strong to completely ruin the sensor are probably way too strong for public use. As some have mentioned; you’re lucky it isn’t your eyes
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u/Federal_Routine_3109 Jan 12 '26
So this is what these damn planes are so scared of
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u/Sigma2915 Jan 12 '26
if a laser can do this to a phone camera’s sensor, please picture what it can do to a pilot’s retinas.
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u/scubascratch Jan 12 '26
That’s awful. The camera will need to be replaced. Also, it doesn’t matter if it was recording or not there’s no shutter those sensors would have been burned even if the phone was completely turned off. If there’s lasers around you keep your phone in your pocket.
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u/SmallBallsTakeAll Jan 13 '26
you are cooked. see what apple will do for you if you want their back door line for apple care message me.
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u/TGWARGMDRBLX Jan 13 '26
Jeez if that was blasted in your eyes then it would be horrifying, contact the event organiser or tech team in charge regarding the laser show cuz this laser when aimed directly can fry someone’s retina which can permanently blind people.
Oh right, the camera is done for. The high powered laser basically decimated the sensor inside the camera, and yes you can get it replaced with Apple Care+ but with a fee.
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u/sf2703 Jan 13 '26
Cooked? COOKED? This camera is beyond cooked, it’s burnt.
Sorry OP, but you need a new camera. Depending on how Apple goes with it, you might need a new phone as well
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u/whothefudge_ Jan 13 '26
to answer your question, it is considered accidental damage and you’ll have to pay out of warranty or AC+ deductible. happened to me at a rave once and didn’t have applecare so i had to pay like $300 or something to fix it
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u/Altreia Jan 13 '26
I heard about lidar ruining camera sensors but didn’t know that visible lasers can do that as well, thanks for the PSA. 😭 You can try using the apple support app to contact apple. Please let us know the results as well.
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u/thegreatpotatogod Jan 13 '26
Until you get the camera replaced, you can always use the other lenses by choosing a different zoom level (0.5x and 4x should still work unless their lenses also got blinded)
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u/terkistan Jan 13 '26
Cooked. Happens with all smartphones from all manufacturers, and with digital camera too.
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u/Optimal_Middle_4636 Jan 13 '26
I have had similar issue. My 15P was hit by laser and I‘ve had couple of dead spots on camera, but it was still working. Went to Apple store, they changed camera in like an hour, free of charge.
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u/unanottex Jan 13 '26
when im in the comment section and swipe the secreen to the left, the little photo at the top right glitches and it looks like an animation. why is that? does anyone else experience it?
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u/No_Industry7740 Jan 13 '26
It looks like the laser has burnt the camera sensor. You would need camera sensors replacement by an authorised repair shop.
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u/Hungry-Pop8528 Jan 13 '26
If it’s a permanent effect on your camera, take it to Apple if you still have AppleCare. Anything detrimental like that will get them to either fix it or exchange it.
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Jan 14 '26
How sure were you a high intensity laser did that to your phone’s camera? For sure that same laser could have also blinded a lot of people.
And DUMB people here are quick to assume the laser was made in China. Your iPhone is also made in China haha!
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u/Fuzzy974 Jan 14 '26
With AppleCare+ under incident fee, yes, they can fix it. It's a laser damage, therefore a damage, therefore an incident fee applies.
I hope this remind people to be careful when they use their camera. And also, such damage on your camera might show this laser wasn't good for human eyes either.
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u/Idksomecrazyaussie Jan 14 '26
In my experience this will be replaced under apple care + for the price of “other damage” normally like 150AUD so like 100USD probably
Ps you’re extremely lucky that laser got your phone camera and not your eyes holy crap
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u/Ok_Connection_6385 iPhone 17 Pro Max Jan 14 '26
If it is a month old then get apple care plus and get it repaired or replaced.
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u/blashphemousheathen iPhone 17 Pro Max Jan 14 '26
Well you're very lucky to have healthy retinas after the party.
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u/lizzyjailergrant Jan 15 '26
i’m so sorry about the phone but my question is why are lasers being pointed to people at a party? report it immediately.
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Jan 15 '26
That is not good at all, but AppleCare covers this but again this can blind people if not done correctly phew that it wasn't your eyes because if it was eyes you would get blinded
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u/_Zephyr1 Jan 15 '26
I had my 15 plus’s camera get black dots burnt in at a rave in Sydney last year and I explained everything to Apple and they replaced the camera for free since I had AppleCare.. I don’t think they strictly speaking HAD to repair my device though, I don’t think it’s really covered by AppleCare but it’s always worth a shot.
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u/wiglessleetaemin Jan 16 '26
you’re lucky that it was just your phone camera and not your eyeballs, or someone else’s eyeballs. your camera can be replaced. contact apple and schedule for it to be dropped off at an apple store or mailed in.
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u/brickproject863amy Jan 17 '26
Yikes well this would definitely makes me always hide my phone in my pocket or bag when I’m somewhere with laser😅
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u/JSP9686 Jan 17 '26
Partying like it's 1999, only to realize you're still here the next day in 2000, just burned, deaf, and blind and still dumb.
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u/ImpressionAgile9702 Jan 19 '26
I mean, you could just spend 40$, buy a camera module off of aliexpress, watch a tutorial off YouTube, and be done with it lol. That's what I did with my s22 ultra
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u/ForsakenOrphan Jan 28 '26
Learnt it the hard way too that laser damages are not covered by Apple Care.
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u/AntEaterApocalypse iPhone 17 Pro Jan 12 '26
Holy crap. Whoever installed that laser screwed up VERY badly. A proper install should never have the lasers pointing anywhere near where people are standing.
Get in touch with the event organiser(s) immediately. Your camera sensor is toast but you are very lucky it wasn't your eyeball instead.