iPhone 17 Pro and Air face LED-lighting photo distortions—wavy bands and blotches. Apple confirms a software bug and will fix it in the iOS 26.1 update.
© Apple
The new iPhone 17 lineup has run into an unexpected hiccup that’s already making the rounds among users and tech media. On the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone Air, shooting under bright LED lighting can occasionally produce distorted images: white wavy bands, dark blotches, and dimmed areas creep into the frame, spoiling otherwise solid shots.
CNN’s Henry Casey encountered the problem while testing the phone at a concert. He observed that many photos looked fine, yet roughly one in ten came out with visible defects—enough to frustrate anyone accustomed to the iPhone’s reliably high camera standards.
Apple has acknowledged the issue and emphasized that it’s software-related rather than a hardware flaw. The company said it plans to fix the bug in an upcoming iOS 26.1 update, with a beta build set to reach developers soon.
Glitches like this ahead of an official sales launch are unusual for Apple, which typically fine-tunes its cameras to a shine. Still, the rapid response inspires confidence: once the update lands, the episode will likely fade into the background. Until then, owners of the iPhone 17 Pro and Air may want to be cautious when shooting under strong LED lighting—a small compromise while waiting for the patch.