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Released September 20, Apple's flagship 2019 smartphone features a 5.8" OLED display, a triple-lens rear camera, and greatly improved battery life. Successor to the iPhone XS.

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Will shaking damage the image stabilization?

I’m a mountain biker and been loving having my iPhone SE on my handlebar while riding. I’m now %&^*^$^ for the new iPhone 11 Pro and its camera. I have been told that the shaking and vibrations from rocky trails can wipe out the image stabilization on Apple iPhones. Is this true?

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Absolutely on the iPhone 11 Pro this will happen. I had the camera replaced 3 times before one of the apple staff asked if I ride a bike. The bike vibration messes up the stabilisers and you will get a jitter and sizzling sound. I use a Quadlok handle bar support.

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ive broken 2 iphone 11 pro using the spconnect mount. until i read some posts like this and stopped putting my phone on the motorbike. really annoying since the spconnect system works amazingly well - just the phone sucks. would like to know if the ram mounts are also affected...

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The Ram mount is affected too I am afraid. My Xs max camera got f.... while using RAM.

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Be nice if Apple made customers aware of this issue. I had two repairs and they gave me a new phone after the Genius Counter Team worked out the issue. They only worked it out because one of the managers rides and knew the problem.

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I commute to and from work on a motorcycle and had the same issue with the iPhone11 under a year old. They're replacing it under warranty this time but after researching this issue I fully expect it to happen again. The shaky camera problem happened to my phone in the middle of a day exploring off road on some dual sport trails. The tech I spoke to said its common and frequently the same customers with this issue. I spoke with an Apple tech support person to see if they were replacing the part with the same exact piece or if they were at least working on improving the replacement part so I won't be replacing it every 2-3 months after the warranty is up and the answer was no. They also started a serial number system so you can't buy the part to replace it yourself. If anyone has any ideas or recommendations on what I/we can do to more permanently fix this issue or to try to push for an extended warranty, discounted upgrade or something? I would be down to pursue it. Power in numbers... hopefully.

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I also ride a motorcycle, and am on my 3rd iphone 11 pro. Can confirm, 100%, that the vibration from motorcycles/mountain-biking will destroy something in the camera that will make it constantly blurry and make all kinds of crazy noises if you hold the phone to your ear. I have my own customer service rep now who I email every few weeks when I need a replacement. Its a pain in the arse (I have to go to the apple store to pickup the replacement and spend like 2 hours setting up the new phone each time), but at least they stand by the product.

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I just started riding a motorcycle (it's been about a month) I installed a handlebar mount and I am convinced this is what killed my iPhone XR rear camera. The camera will no longer focus and the image on the screen is extremely jittery. The phone also makes crazy clicking noises.

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I keep telling people that I-phones are GARBAGE.

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iPhones are still great! Just don’t stick it on your bike. There’s issues on the Android forums with the OIS issues, too.

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Scott Frigm no reason to hate on iPhone because of this issue. It happens on all phones that use OIS. My Xiaomi Mi 11 has just had its camera fail because of this.

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Yes, it is absolutely true for the 11. I mount mine to a motorcycle and have taken out 2 in 3 months. My X didn’t have the same problem.

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5 Comments:

Did you have Apple care +? Issue just came up on mine and I’m anxious as to the price they’ll ask to repair

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@politegoblin It should be free if it's still under warranty, that'd be considered a defect unless there's damage to suggest otherwise.

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Yip, have had two iPhone 12 mini cameras damaged while riding motorcycle. First time they replaced camera, second time Apple replacement phone. Design flaw...

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I have the same yes it replaced the camera once then a new / refurbished & then again this summer just a few weeks after the factory warranty was up , I’m super pushed that now I have to pay to repair it .. it’s only that the tantec employee in our small town remembered me saying I rode a motorcycle that he thought to tell me about the memo from Apple , I don’t feel I should have to pay for this as I had no idea and never had the problem before Thai iPhone 11

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Same same now it’s gone again & off warranty so disappointing @Cardo Prime Media

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Iphone 11 3 weeks old. Went on a ride on my 1200 gs and stopped to take some photos . Camera wouldnt focus and weird almost electrical noise coming from the lenses. Most definitely because of the handlebar vibration. Used x and old 6 before without any issues

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I also have had this happen. iPhone 11 mounted to my motorcycle using a QuadLock. I rode probably 400 miles with the phone mounted this way without issues, but then the rear camera started to not be able to focus and makes a buzzing sound as it tries to do so. Front facing camera works fine. I had an iPhone 7 for years prior and rode close to 30k miles with it mounted on the bike and never had an issue.

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any iPhones before iPhone X did not have any picture stabilizers - it seems it's all related to that

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QuadLock is producing anti-vibration kit which looks promising:

quadlockcase.net/vibration

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1 Comment:

Same thing with my f850gs. Camera won’t focus and very strange noise from the back.

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Mine iPhone 11 Pro also just got broken from riding a motorbike. Phone was mounted using a QuadLock. I was suspecting that’s caused by riding, but I thought it will go away after a reload or shaking it more. So far I wasn’t able to fix it myself, most probably they’ll have to replace the whole phone.

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I’m just broke my second iPhone 11 apparently due to riding with it on my bar mount.

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Apple Authorized Service Provider replaced only camera unit within a week. I wonder if my phone is still water resistant.

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Was it antivibration quadlock or normal one ?

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Same issue here, never had any problems with previous models.

I’m contacting Apple for my 3th replacement.

A phone with this price should be more shockproof…

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I've been using RAM mount which is supposed to be the most vibration proof. It still ruined the camera for me. I am so dissatisfied that the iPhone can't be mounted on the bike. I got an iPhone XS Max

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Same here! I use the RAM mount on my motorcycle. iPhone XR rear camera pooched.

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Same thing happened to my iPhone 11 with a Ram mount. Had a 3 days trip with my Yamaha Tracer. I thought I might have dropped it and caused some mechanical in-lens issues, but apparently not … This is $@$*. How can you not mount your phone on a motorcycle?! Obviously the camera app wasn’t even started/recording. Used it for waze & music.

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Quad lock now produce an anti-vibration add-on for their mounts. I’ve tried it with my iPhone 11 and so far no problems. Previously without the anti-vibe the camera died after one trip.

Quadlock appear to have done some fairly extensive testing with this so hopefully there is now a fix for mounting phones with image stabilisation to motorbikes.

By the way, I am not employed by, or affiliated in any way with Quadlock. Just a genuine customer with a working solution.

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I’m at my 4th broken iPhone Xs today, after going for a ride on my Bonneville yesterday. I had my 3 previous phones replaced under AppleCare+ but now it’s expired - seems that it should cost me around 90$USD to get it fixed. Will know later, my appointment is at 11h30

Spoke to the nicest guy at Apple - he found this thread as well and didn’t recommend re-using my Quadlock (or any mounts) anymore and suggested that I find an iPhone 8 or prior for navigation.

I was also thinking that “maybe”, only “maybe”… .. Could it be that the camera stabilizer is working all the time and being on the bike, it tries to focus as you ride? That, plus the vibrations, etc. causes it to break? Maybe putting a tape over the camera would prevent such a thing to happen so that the camera doesn’t try to focus continually?

I don’t get much vibration from my motorcycle, I find it hard that it would be only that…

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No, the stabiliser or autofocus isn't working at all when the camera is not in use. The mechanics inside just brake from the vibrations.

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Yup. Mine broke after a 2 hour highway ride through the mountains here in Alberta and BC. This was on a Tracer 900 GT which has a super smooth triple engine. Makes me wonder about buying another iPhone. I’ve had an iPhone since the 4. Grrr. Oh well. It never went on the bars after that - even after Quadlock sent me some anti-vibe mounts to try out. Just don’t want to risk it again.

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@motosmurph Unfortunately, as per Quad Lock's blog, any recent mobile with an image stabilizer will undergo the same stress and break :-(

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Iphone 11 has the same issue with motorcycle quadlock.. Something inside the lens will rattle loose, and cause the phone to be unable to focus. I removed it from the quad lock and put it in my pocket instead now.

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I just finished getting the rear lens camera replaced in my 7 month old iPhone 11 - under warranty. I mounted it to the bars on my Tracer 900 GT using a quad lock and 2 hours later I get buzzing, clicking and blurry focusing while trying to use the camera. Waste of money spent on the quadlock. Oh well - i’ll just use it in the vehicles instead. They also recommended not using any magnetic mounts as the same issue can occur.

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My iPhone 11 had same issue on Tiger 900GT with Quadlock - waste of money.

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Quad lock are aware of the problem and I suggest that anyone who has this issue keeps an eye out for their anti-vibration mount

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Tony - Reach out to Quadlock. You can get a full refund.

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On my 4th IPhone 11 Pro now. Apple just keeps replacing it under warranty with no out of pocket costs to me.

The culprit for me is my 83 Kawasaki 440. My 2019 Indian Scout Bobber hasn’t had an incident to date but we shall see.

clearly there is a fatal fault in the camera stabilization system that can’t take certain vibrations.

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how much does actually cost w/o warranty to fix it?

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Killed my XS camera in 20 hours of riding this weekend.

I’m not sure if it’s stabilization or focus, but it’s not good.


I’ll never dash mount a phone without warranty on my motorcycle anymore.

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I am in the same boat.

I may take a look and see what is out there for vibration isolation mounts and make something custom. There is currently no suppliers of handlebar phone holders that have a good solution for this issue.

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it took one day and 300km to get this iphone 11 pro broken :(

I used quadlok.

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Vibration dampener seems to be working fine, no issues after 500km riding.

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Got the quad lock right before my trip and Literally 2 hours into my ride and had to completely get my iPhone 11 replaced.

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I also got my Iphone 11pro max camera destroyed by vibrations from riding motorbike - triumph street tripple. I bought quadLock case and charging mount and now I am reconsidering what to do next as I really want/need to mount the phone on my bike. It is crazy that it destroys the camera even when it is not turned on…

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Had the same issue. Camera replaced under warranty. Added the vibration dampener from Quadlock and after today’s ride I’m happy to report the camera is working just fine. Hoping it continues

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I contacted Quadlock on this issue. I had two repairs done to my iphone and a full replacement. Quadlock are dismissing it as a small percentage are having this problem. This is simply not correct - I have come across many posts on forums regarding riders who have had this problem.

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You can contact QuadLock letting them know what happened and showing them proof of ownership by taking pics of it on your bike and a few other details per your bike and they’ll issue you a vibration dampener free of charge. I did and they shipped it today for my iPhone XS that it ruined in one ride. Gotta admit, still not sure I want to mount it even with the dampener and risk ruining my phone again, but might be easier to resell with it included.

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I received my QuadLock Vibration Dampener this week free of charge after telling their support team what happened to my phone. You could all do the same. Here’s their blog article about the new product with a list of bike models it’s been tested on.

https://www.quadlockcase.com/blogs/news/...

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Just wanted to pitch in – the same happened to my iPhone 11 after about 20 cumulative hours mounted to my motorbike on a Quadlock. When it focuses on a certain distance (about 20cm, not closer, not farther) the image goes into “zoom blur” and the phone vibrates and makes an audible noice (full sensory feedback, wow). Out of warranty period too :(

Does anyone have any experience whether the same happens on iPhone 12?

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Can confirm the 12 pro has the same issue on a Ram mount.

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I’d like to know if they’ve improved stability on the 12 as well. Until that time my 11 stays in my pocket on the bike. I was fortunate to have my camera replaced once under warranty (due to vibrations on the handlebars). I’d rather not risk it again - even though I have vibration dampeners in my kit.

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No issues with the 11 or 12 pro after installing the Vibration dampener.

Before the dampener I ruined two 10’s and and 11’s under warranty.

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I have had my iPhone SE (2020) on my standard RAM mount for probably 50 hours of riding and it’s been fine.

I killed a XS camera in under 8 hours, and a 12 Pro camera in under 6 hours.

My SE is my dash phone now, and my 12 Pro lives in my pocket when I ride.

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While it’s technically possible, it’s highly unlikely. These devices are designed to withstand much more stress than that, and should not fail under the given circumstances.

EDIT: Given feedback from others who have more experience than myself, I’d say to take this answer with a grain of salt. Read the feedback of others as well.

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Hard to believe that this is the selected answer. Read and research a bit first.

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@James Wilson I answered this before any of the other first hand experiences on this thread were brought up. I'm incorrect, and I've edited my answer to reflect that.

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This answer is NOT correct.

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It seems my Iphone XR has suffered the same damage…maybe from my motorcycle, although I don’t mount the phone, just wore it in my back pocket most often. This sucks.

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Just had the same issue, iPhone 11 and quadlock mount on my motorbike handlebars, been out for my first ride and my camera has failed, constant jittering, wish I’d known before I splashed £70 on a quadlock system

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If you would read all the comments, you would find it eventually. I’ve seen it, but Apple doesn’t warn about any restrictions on using the phone with mounts.

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Sure! That’s what they will tell you, after you buy their system. They will even send one for free. But until then, they should stop advertise this product for iPhone users.

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Just had my second iPhone 11 go on me. Confirmed it isn’t just happening with QuadLock mounts. I used a Ram Mount this time (same setup I used with iPhone 7 mentioned in my previous post in this thread). After about 500 miles again, same symptoms as before. Still under warranty, thankfully, but I won’t be experimenting with any more mounts.

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I bought a new QuadLock to use my iPhone XS on my Versys 650 and after one short ride the problem started. Camera can’t focus and seems like it has drunk vision and you get a static sound through the ear speaker. Terrible. Had to spend $200 to replace the phone using Verizon’s Asurion coverage. The convenience isn’t worth going through expensive phones, that’s for sure. Might have to try sending back the QuadLock I guess. Too bad.

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I had the exact same issue my iPhone 11 was repaired under warranty - new camera was installed. I contacted quadlock and they offered to send me one of their vibration dampeners at no cost - once they get them produced. I may try it.... I might not. I have since converted both vehicles to use the quadlock case as I was using magnetic ones previously and Apple mentioned to steer clear of magnetic mounts on these newer phones.

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Yep - I’ve now gone through 2 IPhone XR rear facing cameras - both following long rides that had a fair amount of dirt road sections. Have been using the Quad Lock. I’m suspecting that system is more prone to transfer the vibrations directly from the bike into the phone - as opposed to other mounts that use a ball hinge for instance. Gonna try a new mount - If that breaks the phone camera again I think I’ll have to spring for a GPS.

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I used the RAM mount with ball hinge. Took the camera out on my XS within 5 rides.

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If you get in touch with Quadlock they may offer you a solution

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Same issue here… I have a Triumph Street Triple with a QuadLock and have gone through 2 trips to the Apple store for replacement of the back camera that started to have focus issues after a few rides. On my last visit to the store they mentioned about this being common on motorcycles!

At least my iPhone11 is still under warranty. Just installed the vibration dampener from QuadLock and we will see how it goes (better test before my warranty expires)… I'll report once I have some answers.

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Did the dampener help in any ways?

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Guys I am quite surprised about most of the comments that blame to quadlock mount for this issue.

I am using quadlock with many iphone models for the last couple of years but the issue only finally happened with my new iPhone 11 and I am reading here and there that most of the complaints are with an iPhone 11 phone. So how come nobody thinks that this issue is related to iPhone 11 itself?

Can anyone confirm that this issue also happens on iPhone 12 models as well?

And another question, let’s say we add the dampener to solve the issue (which I already did), can I use video recording while driving my bike?

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It’s happen to my iphone 12 last week with sp connect with antivibration module mount. 2 rides of 2 hours.

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It happened to my iphone 12 pro with the Rokform case and stem mount.

They as of now do not have an anti vibration mount. I am working with them to develop them.

I understand this may be an issue with Apple, however these companies offering aftermarket accessories, also have a obligations to worn you on the potential of having this issue and offer the anti vibration option upfront when one is looking to purchase a motorcycle/bike mount for their phone.

It was a major hassle to go through 2 companies to figure out what the issue was.

If you think about it Apple has always suggested only using genuine Apple accessories with your Apple products. So they really should not get the blame on this one.

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It’s definitely a phone issue regardless of mount. My IPhone 11 was killed by a Rokform mount. I almost reverted back to my Ram X-Grip but apparently it does the same. I ride an FZ-09. I want to give Quad lock a try with the new dampener but I’m already heavily invested in Rokform accessories and I love the magnet features. Hoping Rokform makes an equivalent

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APPLE (13 Sep 2021) has stated that varying vibrations from mounting an iPhone onto bikes, mountain bikes, motor scooters, motorcycles may damage the internal stabilizer for its iPhone camera and other functions. This news has been recently circulating on the BBC, CNET, Engadget, Tech Radar, etc…

The news validates many unknowns pertaining to iPhone issues brought about whenever using device mounts on bikes and motorbikes.

You’ll find that many posts on the Internet have attributed such iPhone issues in conjunction with “mount brands” such as Quadlock, SP Connect, Spigen, Sincetop, Rokform, etc…

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At least my iPhone11 is still under warranty. Just installed the vibration dampener from QuadLock and we will see how it goes (better test before my warranty expires)… I'll report once I have some answers. I used this https://geniusgeeks.com/best-gimbals-for... guide to find the best gimbal for iPhone.


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Hi Steven,

This issue will not be covered by warranty. Apple will just offer you a payed repair-service. I experienced this by myself.

Greetings!

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Apple just quoted me $630 to replace my rear camera !!!! - New phone time

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I have bought the damper, after 3 iphone replacements and all is good now

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My iPhone X went for over a year and 6K mi of offroad and street on my ADV motorcycle’s bars w/o issue. Then a simple fwy ride took out the OIS in the rear camera. *GOING FOREWARD- I still use the broken phone w/o SIM card on the bike for GPS and Mapping but it is using my new iPhone 13 as a HotSpot in my jacket pocket for its web connection - Works Great!!

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tim will be eternally grateful.
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