Phone mounts on motorcycles might need a rethink

Apple support warns that if you mount your iPhone to your bike, be aware that it may damage some devices, specifically those with image stabilisation and/or autofocus mechanisms.

That leaves three options – use a mount that has inherent vibration damping properties, keep your iPhone instead somewhere else on your person while riding or, perish the thought, consider a change to another type of phone.

In a RideApart article, the Apple experts add that the problem may worsen with time, repeated exposures further degrading the operation of the camera.

Evidently it isn’t just the optical image stabilisation system that’s affected by these high frequency vibrations but also the autofocus hardware within the phone’s camera.

Cameras with OIS include those in the iPhone 6 and 7 generations, and second-gen iPhone SE. Some later models like iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone 11 with telephoto or ultra-wide angle cameras don’t have OIS and therefore shouldn’t be as susceptible to vibration-induced damage.

The Autofocus function is on iPhone XS and later models, along with the second-generation iPhone SE.

All of which begs the question – how do Android competitors with OIS, of which there are many, hold up under the same conditions?