iOS 14.4 beta has code for notification if iPhone does not have original camera
The second beta of iOS 14.4 contains code indicating that Apple will warn iOS users if a phone does not have the original camera on board. As with displays, it probably does not necessarily have to be fake parts.
The message that MacRumors and 9to5Mac found in the code says that the software cannot verify that it is an original Apple camera. Such a notification has been in iOS for some time for the screen and the battery. They do not hinder the operation, although the TrueTone function does not work with a non-original Apple screen and users cannot read the status of the battery with non-original batteries.
It probably does not have to be a fake camera: even an identical camera from an identical iPhone model can cause problems, as it turned out around the release of the iPhone 12. It turned out that the camera had problems with zooming, switching front to back and back and portrait mode stopped working. The notification indicates that Apple has cryptographically connected the cameras to the PCB. Only Apple and Apple-certified repairers can officially set a new component as original on an iPhone to make the notification disappear. Such notifications are permanent in the settings screen.
Apple has not commented on the find. According to iFixit, an internal manual for certified repairers shows that when replacing the camera it is necessary to use the System Configuration app. That app cryptographically links components together to ensure that iOS disables features or displays notifications if users replace parts themselves or have it done by non-certified repairers.
What happens after component change | Notification | Operation |
Screen | ‘May not be an original part’ | Component works, TrueTone does not work |
Battery | ‘May not be an original part’ | Item works, battery status does not work |
Camera | There may be notification in the future | Barely works |
Touch ID, Face ID | – | Does not work |