Are there dark spots in photos? Eliminate the cause! What to do if Siri and microphone don't work

And the site continues the project in which we will regularly answer your questions related to the repair and maintenance of Apple equipment. We have collected the most interesting questions from our readers and in this video we are happy to answer them.

A small black dot appeared on the iPhone 6 camera, can this be fixed without replacing the camera?

Unfortunately, it will not work, you still have to replace the entire camera module. The resulting dot is dust trapped in the lens, and since the assembly cannot be opened for repair or cleaning, only replacement.

The problem of replacing the keyboard on the MacBook Pro 13 late 2013 has been interesting for a very long time. Is it possible to replace the keyboard on this model at all, or is it glued tightly?

Of course you can. There is a widespread belief that the keyboard replacement on Retina models is done only by replacing the entire topcase. Yes, this is what the authorized service centers do and assure everyone, since they are prohibited from carrying out a full analysis under the terms of the contract. Any other professional service center will easily replace the keyboard separately, and the price tag will vary from 7,000 to 9,000 rubles.

MacBook Pro 2009. Cooler hums strongly. Can you fix it at home and how?

Replacing the cooler on such Mac models is not difficult, since the back cover can be removed quite simply with a Phillips screwdriver and the spare part is literally in front of you. First you need to disconnect the battery and remove the cooler, it can be disassembled separately, and then thoroughly clean it from the inside, and, of course, clean the entire cooling system. If misalignment occurs, then only replacement will help.

What to do if Siri and microphone don't work?

On models and above, Apple engineers have implemented 3 microphones. The main microphone, located at the bottom, is a noise canceling microphone, as well as sound recording when shooting a video, located at the top next to the camera module, and a front microphone located next to the top speaker and soldered into the top cable of the front camera and light sensor. He, in turn, is responsible for recording the voice for the Siri assistant. To fix the problem, you need to replace the top cable.

iPhone 6. The front-facing camera has moved 1/4 to the side inside. I heard that this is a common problem. Can I fix it myself? Or is it better in service?

That's right, the problem is very widespread, and we, however, accept a lot of requests. It is better not to eliminate this nuisance at home, but to take it to the service. The fact is that the camera has absolutely nothing to do with it, but the whole thing is in the spacer ring located on the camera. Due to heating, the ring lags behind the adhesive surface and shifts to the side.

After replacing the case on the iPhone 5, the network began to disappear quite often, is this connected? And how is it treated? thanks

Unfortunately, the ability to correct this malfunction on your own is small. It is possible that when assembling the new case, the aluminum spacer rings on the lower cable were not installed, and the bolts were not screwed into the row of the upper antennas. This, unfortunately, we see often.

iPhone 5, both cameras failed ... Replacing with new ones did not give anything, after replacing the body by a "kind man" the phone stopped turning on, the apple was on and overloaded ...
Is it possible for you to fix, restore the board, the approximate cost? And is it advisable?

Of course, the renovation is advisable! Presumably, your problem lies in the failure of the flash power chip, since in fact the power to the rear camera is originally supplied from this spare part. A failure factor can be a slight ingress of moisture or a shock that formed a crack in the microcircuit itself or its soldering.

iPad is locked. How do I reset my password by connecting to iTunes?

You need to restore the device software in iTunes by putting it into DFU mode. To do this, when the USB cable is connected to the computer and tablet, simultaneously hold down the Home button and the power button, after a sudden shutdown, remove your finger from the power button, but continue to hold the Home button until the desired recovery message in iTunes.

We urge you to leave in the comments to this article and to the YouTube video your questions about what aspects of Apple gadget repair you are interested in, and we are happy to answer them. Thanks to friends from

How to find?

At 100% magnification of the light area, two dark spots are most likely dust on the matrix. This is a common problem, and fixing it yourself is risky.

Where does dirt and dust come from?

Smudges in digital photographs are sometimes attributed to dirt on the lens or on the mirror in the camera, but this is almost always wrong. The mirror is not present in the optical path when the image is recorded, so even large pieces of dirt on the mirror will not be visible in the photograph. Dirt on lens elements also rarely "shows up" in photographs as a smudge when it is far from the focal point. You may notice a smudge in the photo from dirt on the front lens of an ultra wide-angle - fisheye if it is set to the closest possible focusing distance, but dirt on the optics of conventional lenses does not create "traces" of dirt in the photo.

Dirt and dust can enter the camera when changing lenses, or when the quality of the lens itself is insufficient, or when the lens mount is not properly sealed to the camera. This is not a problem for digital cameras with a fixed lens. The only way to reduce the risk of dust getting into your camera is to change lenses less frequently. This will not stop all the dirt and dust, but it will significantly reduce the amount.

Check sensor

If you do not know if there is dust on the sensor of your camera, then it is easy to check.
- attach the lens to the camera
- focus on infinity
- set exposure compensation +1
- set the smallest aperture (largest value) like f / 22 or f / 32
- keep the camera 30-60 centimeters from a uniformly illuminated target-object completely filling the frame and take a picture; exposure time may be several seconds, but this is not scary - dust, if any, will not go anywhere and will not shift from hand shake relative to the frame boundaries

Do you see spots? 99% is from the dust on the matrix

At lower aperture values, dust “work” results are less noticeable. At F / 11, they are very blurry, and at F / 8 and less, they are almost invisible. If changes in the diaphragm during the test do not affect the nature of the spots, then most likely it is damage to the sensor, and not dust.

Can you identify the stain?

Below are 100% fragments of test shots. On the left is the original image taken at F / 5.6. It is very, very difficult to notice any appearance of a dirt stain. In the center is the same image, but with maximum brightness and histogram stretched to emphasize low-contrast details. You can see a large circular spot that is darker than the background. This is a shadow of dust or a dirty spot on the sensor. And finally, a fragment of a test shot taken with the same position and exposure as the first, but with an aperture of f / 32. The stain is noticeable without additional manipulation.

Some cameras, like the Olympus Evolt or Sony's new DSLR-A100 Alpha DSLR, try to clean the sensor = shake off dust with ultrasonic vibrations. These systems work well enough, but they won't help numerous owners of Canon, Nikon, Pentax, Konica-Minolta DSLRs and digital backs. And even to the owners of the above cameras with a self-cleaning matrix.

So, having identified dust-dirt on the matrix, you have three options:

1. Ignore dust spots and fix them with Photoshop or another editor "stamp"... This is a long and tedious journey, which is actually not very good if the spots are visible under "normal for you" conditions. If you only notice spots at F / 32 after increasing contrast and brightness, then you can live with these. All sensors show dust spots if you look closely.

2. Send the camera to the manufacturer or service center... It will either cost only nerves, or money and nerves. As well as time. With no guarantee that what you expected will be done.

3. Clean it yourself... This would be the most obvious way, if it were not for the possibility of damaging the matrix with subsequent replacement, costing from $ 200 to several thousand.

Many, many people clean the sensors on their own without any problems, but if you think you are not smart enough, you should not try to clean the sensor yourself.

Why choose the latter option

Even after you have cleaned your camera's sensor, it will still get dirty again. Therefore, we will teach you how to clean the sensor yourself, without wasting a lot of time and money.

The sensor surface is protected by a multi-layer filter. In most DSLRs, the sensor is protected by a sandwich of two soy anti-reflective coating, an infrared filter and an anti-aliasing filter (anti-aliasing filter). That is, you will not clean the semiconductor sensor itself, but a solid multilayer filter. And even minor scratches will not lead to dire consequences.

Some cameras have a "Cleaning" mode, but for others, before cleaning it is necessary:
- remove the lens
- raise the mirror
- open the shutter

Cleaning method # 1 - air

The safest method of cleaning the matrix is ​​to blow off the dust with a blower. It is advisable to use pears sold in photo shops because medical pears may contain talc. It is also not recommended to use compressed air in cylinders, as they may contain foreign elements or liquid droplets.

Pros:
- zero chance of damage to sensor and shutter
- low cost of fixtures
- can be used in the field, while maintaining the "cleanliness" of the space surrounding the camera
Minuses:
- doesn't work very well
- may simply lead to a banal redistribution of dust inside the camera

Cleaning method # 2 - brush

If you can't get rid of the dust with a blower, try using a brush.

The brush really "clings" dust and removes it from the chamber, but requires constant cleaning and "shaking out". In addition, this method provides for direct contact with the matrix (the filter covering it).

Visible Dust recently introduced a very high tech brush. The villi of this brush are created from specially formed fibers and cut with a plasma cutter, which gives a spherical cut edge, which is very important from the point of view of non-damage to the surface of the cleaned objects. This allows the brush material to attract dust particles even if the brush moves around the sensor. The product is expensive - $ 280 for a whale of three brushes.

Pros:
- simple work
- very small chance of damaging the sensor
Minuses:
- specialized brushes are expensive, but not more expensive than multiple cleaning at a service center

Note. In fact, you can use a brush for $ 1. The villi of the hand must be thin, soft, synthetic and the handle must be electrically insulating. The width of the brush is preferably no more than 1 cm. The brush should be cleaned with a pear. And periodically remove the electrostatic charge. 3-4 "passes" are sufficient for everyday cleaning.

Cleaning method number 3 - if the previous ones did not help, then full contact If it was not possible to blow off with a pear and remove the dirt with a brush, more powerful methods should be used. You should use special strips moistened with a solution, or so-called "micro-mops" made of high-tech materials. The use of these tools depends on the manufacturer, so we will only indicate the names of the kits and where to read about them.
SpecGrabber
- Sensor Swabs
- Visible Dust Smear Away Solution Kit, Tough Sensor-Stain Remover
- Kodak Lens Tissue

Cameras in iPhone are special elements of a gadget. They allow you to take high-quality pictures and record videos. The owner of the device does not need to carry out any additional settings to take a video or photo. But over time, dark or too light spots may appear on the captured frames. When shooting directly, they are not visible, but they are clearly distinguishable against a white or light background.

Causes of camera stains

There are several reasons for the deterioration in the quality of frames:

• dust on the lens;
• damage to the smartphone when dropped;
• matrix defect;
• software crashes;
• manufacturing defects.

In the first case, we are talking about the penetration of the smallest dust particles onto the iPhone camera. The outside of the lens can be simply wiped off, but it is not so easy to get inside. A complete disassembly of the iPhone will be required, which is categorically not recommended to carry out on your own. It is much safer to entrust cleaning to specialists. The price of such a service in the Total Apple service center is as affordable as possible, and the procedure itself takes no more than half an hour.

The most common camera defects:

• dark spots (clearly distinguishable on a white background),
• light spots,
• points.

Camera related issues

As a rule, the failure of a camera module manifests itself not only in the form of black spots. For example, there is no focus on the subject, the flash does not fire when shooting at night, or it is always on. Such problems are indicative of software glitches.

Factory defect is not typical for Apple electronics: devices are always of high quality, which other manufacturers are guided by. But each iPhone model has its own vulnerabilities. For example, many users note that in the fifth model, the most vulnerable place is the lens, which quickly gets dirty from the inside.

How do I get rid of camera stains?

External contamination can be easily removed with a damp cloth. You can also try to fix software glitches by resetting your device to factory settings. But if we are talking about serious malfunctions in which you need to disassemble the smartphone or replace the camera, then it is best to contact a service center.

Our service staff will quickly diagnose the problem that is causing the spots on the images. With normal lens cleaning, the procedure takes no more than 30 minutes. At the same time, the cost of services is minimal.

If you need to replace the camera, then even this process will take little time. Within an hour after contacting the service center, your gadget will continue to shoot high-quality photos and videos without defects in the frames. At the same time, there are no risks in the further operation of the device, since professionals are working to restore the operability of the gadget.