Blinking light on iPhone front camera

Q: Why is there flashing light from front camera?

there is a sensor front side of phones called proximity sensor”. This sensor emit a small electromagnetic radiation to detect nearby objects.

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How to turn on LED Flash for Alerts
What is the blinking light on my iPhone camera?
Why is there flashing light from front camera?
Why is my front camera blinking purple?

I notice that there is a blinking light on the front cam of iphones. I searched what is this about and i found out that it’s the ambient sensor and proximity sensor, but I don’t have it on my phone. Is this ok?

iPhone 13 mini, iOS 15

Posted on Oct 17, 2021 4:31 PM

The blinking is only visible in very particular conditions. It enables Face ID on your phone. If Face ID still works, then it doesn’t really matter.

Posted on Oct 17, 2021 4:45 PM

Blinking light on front camera iphone 13mini

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Hello. I have an infrared camera. I saw that the front camera of my iPhone XS is blinking. Why is that happening?

Posted on Nov 15, 2019 9:57 AM

2 replies

Nov 18, 2019 1:19 PM in response to hristo224

Hey hristo224,

If I understand correctly, you can see light coming from the front facing camera when you look through an infrared camera. This can happen because of Face ID.

"The TrueDepth camera captures accurate face data by projecting and analyzing over 30,000 invisible dots to create a depth map of your face and also captures an infrared image of your face."

About Face ID advanced technology

Please don't hesitate to let us know if the steps resolved your issue or if you need additional assistance.

Thank you for using Apple Support Communities. Have a good one.

Nov 19, 2019 11:58 PM in response to brenden dv

Hi. The “problem” is that the phone was on the table and no one is close to it. So it is strange to be because of the Face ID. I saw that the camera blinks after receiving an e-mails or other notifications. But sometimes it blinks without any notification while the phone is left on the table and no one is close to it. My previous IPhone 6s front camera also blinked on infrared.

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Blinking of the front camera

The LED flash next to the camera lens on the back of your iPhone or iPad can blink when your device is locked and you receive a notification. This can be useful for anyone who might miss audible alerts.

How to turn on LED Flash for Alerts

Open the Settings app, tap Accessibility, then tap Audio/Visual.
Turn on LED Flash for Alerts.

To prevent LED flashes when your iPhone or iPad* is in silent mode, turn off Flash on Silent.

LED Flash for Alerts works only when your device is locked.

* LED Flash for Alerts is available for iPad Pro (9.7-inch), iPad Pro (10.5-inch), iPad Pro 12.9-inch (2nd generation) and later, iPad Pro 11-inch (all models), and iPad mini (6th generation).

Published Date: March 11, 2022

Hi,
Ok, I have a weird one that I need help with... The other night, I was asleep and was awakened by my the sound of an incoming text. I grabbed phone and replied to text and then pushed top right button to turn off the bright screen and go back to sleep. But once I did that the screen went black (as expected) but a bright red light came from the front facing camera (just left of ear speaker). I was shocked and in awe by the red light... reminded me of the Terminators eyes... anyways, I gawked at it (keep in mind I'm in complete darkness), and then some what freaked out thinking that maybe my phone was hacked??? Has ANYONE experienced this??? I am kind of freaked out by it and deleted any recent apps that I downloaded. Please help me figure it out! Thanks

iphone 4, iOS 4, Red light coming from front facing camera

Posted on Apr 3, 2011 9:41 PM

r/apple

Hi. Maybe a dumb question but right now I saw red light blinking from that spot in the picture (linked picture in comment). It's not my phone in the picture. I saw this now as it's very dark in here and I have never seen it blinking red there. Anyone know?

level 1

That is the proximity sensor. There is no light behind that sensor, and no, it is not a LSI either. :-)

If you saw a light there, then you may have the unusual ability to see infrared light.

level 2

My guess that it's near-red, and I think much like hearing ranges, the actual frequency ranges the eye can pick up will vary slightly person-to-person. OP's visible range just extends far enough into red.

level 2

I've seen this light too. Not all of it might be infrared. Either that or I have superpowers.

level 2

Ahaa! Many thanks for reply. I feel special.

level 2

At least during the iPhone 3G era, poor quality replacement screens have proximity sensors that are visible to the naked eye.

level 2

Or the light is reflecting/refracting off of an internal component and the wavelength changed to barely visible?

level 2

I saw it frequently at night with my old iPhone 5. Got a replacement for an unrelated reason and it didn't have that issue.

level 1

Try playing with a TV remote control and see if you can see a red light as well.

level 1

I saw that when I first set up my phone. It blinked 3 times and was solid for four or five seconds between blinks. Haven't seen it since, was also wondering what it might be.

level 2

When your calling people and hold the phone to your ear, it detects your face so it can black the screen out and you don't press buttons!

level 2

(linked picture in comment)

Why? Why go through the effort to type '(linked picture in comment)' and make a comment?

level 1

My best guess would be that the proximity sensor emits light that consists of a range of wavelengths. Much like sunlight consists of light of all colors, this would contain light that has the wavelength of infrared as well as some light that is actually visible to the naked eye.