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mtnDewFTW

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Oct 26, 2009
900
172
San Francisco, CA
Hi everyone! I'm sorry in advance if this question has been beat to death already.

My iPhone 4 camera lens is VERY scratched. Even though the rest of the back is pretty much scratch free. Keep in mind that I don't use a case. At first, it didn't' really bother me, but the scratches just kept on happening, so now I can't even take a picture. It looks very blurry. I tried to see if replacing the backplate would also replace the lens, but it turns out that it doesn't.

Does anyone know of any way of getting this fixed? Or how much it costs? I want to take it to Apple and have them do it, rather than to it myself at home.

Thanks so much!
 

mtnDewFTW

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Oct 26, 2009
900
172
San Francisco, CA
It isn't the actual lens scratched, it's a part of the black plate. You'll need a new backplate. Apparently apple stores charge $29 to get it replaced.

Thanks for the reply! But are you sure? I called my local Apple store to ask if it was a part of the backplate or not, and the guy on the phone said that it wasn't. And when I asked how I could get the lens replaced, he said that I would just need to come down and talk to a genius myself.
 

Nothlit

macrumors regular
Sep 14, 2009
242
18
I had the back plate of my iPhone 4 replaced for exactly this reason a couple of months ago. I can confirm that the lens you are talking about is a part of the back plate and the whole plate is easily replaced in about 2 minutes. My photos are so much clearer now -- it's like night and day! I now make sure I don't slide my phone around too much on the desk. I just put it down and pick it straight up. So far, no new scratches have appeared.

I was expecting to pay $29, but the Genius did it for free after he couldn't find the billing entry for it on his store iPod touch. This was right after the 4S came out, and I suspect they might have quietly eliminated or changed the $29 replacement program with the advent of AppleCare+. Then again, maybe he just couldn't find the entry for some other reason. The only way you can find out for sure is to make an appointment and see what they say.
 

mtnDewFTW

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Oct 26, 2009
900
172
San Francisco, CA
I had the back plate of my iPhone 4 replaced for exactly this reason a couple of months ago. I can confirm that the lens you are talking about is a part of the back plate and the whole plate is easily replaced in about 2 minutes. My photos are so much clearer now -- it's like night and day! I now make sure I don't slide my phone around too much on the desk. I just put it down and pick it straight up. So far, no new scratches have appeared.

I was expecting to pay $29, but the Genius did it for free after he couldn't find the billing entry for it on his store iPod touch. This was right after the 4S came out, and I suspect they might have quietly eliminated or changed the $29 replacement program with the advent of AppleCare+. Then again, maybe he just couldn't find the entry for some other reason. The only way you can find out for sure is to make an appointment and see what they say.

Thank you so much! this was hugely helpful. I made an appointment at my local Apple store. I can't wait to get this problem fixed!
 

Black Dawg Down

macrumors member
Nov 1, 2011
87
0
I had this happened before so now I just stick a tiny piece of scotch tape on the camera.

Beats the inconvenience of replacing the back plate.

I don't take a lot of pictures though.
 

ip5eve

macrumors newbie
Jul 29, 2013
6
0
I had this happened before so now I just stick a tiny piece of scotch tape on the camera.

Beats the inconvenience of replacing the back plate.

I don't take a lot of pictures though.


I vote for stick a piece of scotch tape, i did it on my iPhone 5 and it keep my camera lens cleans perfectly.
 

cynics

macrumors G4
Jan 8, 2012
11,959
2,154
Just to mention this is a VERY easy DIY repair for the 4/4S for those of you that don't live within a reasonable distance to an Apple store.

You can get the tools, new screws and a backplate from ifixit. Btw if you are going to do it you may want to replace the battery too since its right there.
 

viperGTS

macrumors 68000
Nov 15, 2010
1,560
941
Just to mention this is a VERY easy DIY repair for the 4/4S for those of you that don't live within a reasonable distance to an Apple store.

You can get the tools, new screws and a backplate from ifixit. Btw if you are going to do it you may want to replace the battery too since its right there.

Actually, the battery can be tricky IMO. If you don't clean the connectors properly, you will have signal issues. That what keeps me from even thinking about replacing my battery...
 

charlituna

macrumors G3
Jun 11, 2008
9,636
816
Los Angeles, CA
Thanks for the reply! But are you sure? I called my local Apple store to ask if it was a part of the backplate or not, and the guy on the phone said that it wasn't. And when I asked how I could get the lens replaced, he said that I would just need to come down and talk to a genius myself.

You asked about getting the lens replaced. What's on the backplate isn't actually the lens, more like a lens cover.

Believe me I've done it a few dozen times over the year. Book an appt, it's $29 since it is 'user damage'. Takes them longer to do the paperwork than the repair.
 

ip5eve

macrumors newbie
Jul 29, 2013
6
0
Actually, the battery can be tricky IMO. If you don't clean the connectors properly, you will have signal issues. That what keeps me from even thinking about replacing my battery...

Clean the connector and use some saving battery soft can help a lots!
 
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