Apple warns motorcyclists that attaching an iPhone to a motorcycle handlebar for navigation is a bad idea that could cause serious damage to the iPhone's delicate camera system

As MacRumors discovered, a new support page has appeared on Apple's site, and the delicate optical image stabilization (OIS) and close-loop autofocus (AF) systems could be potentially and permanently damaged by vibration from a moving engine enough The company advises that damage can be caused by

"The iPhone's OIS and closed-loop AF systems are designed for durability," Apple writes

"However, as is the case with many consumer electronics products containing systems such as OIS, prolonged direct exposure to high amplitude vibrations within a specific frequency range can degrade the performance of these systems and degrade photo and video image quality

Therefore, the company concludes that "the installation of iPhones on motorcycles with high power or high capacity engines is not recommended due to the amplitude of vibrations in a specific frequency range generated by those engines"

Vehicles with similar designs and smaller engines, such as mopeds and electric scooters, do not have the same inherent risks, but Apple still recommends that "relatively low amplitude vibration" be addressed with anti-vibration mounts and avoid "prolonged use"

Given the nature of the two camera technologies - OIS uses a built-in gyroscope and AF relies on a magnetic sensor - it is perhaps not surprising that this technology is vulnerable to intense and prolonged vibration

And indeed, one does not have to dig too deep to find stories of those affected One rider found that his iPhone camera broke after only 8 miles of riding, resulting in an out-of-focus "swimming" image

It is not certain why Apple decided to increase awareness now, but it is certainly a good thing One person said he had his phone replaced twice before someone at the Apple store noticed the problem, because he was riding his bike himself at the time

So what's a motorcyclist who relies on his iPhone for navigation to do? Whether it is enough to guarantee the safety of the iPhone is another matter

There are also handlebar-specific GPS solutions that are made for this purpose, so you don't have to worry about the same sensitive internals; something like the $340 Garmin Zumo should suffice, and the $340 Hondo Buzz-Kill Vibration Isolator is a good example

Alternatively, there are plenty of cheap, rugged Android phones that you can buy and use as a dedicated GPS If you don't plan to use other features, you don't have to worry about vibration damage While it won't win any awards for beauty or speed, Kyocera's DuraForce Pro can be had for under $100 if you shop around, and it works fine as a dedicated bike GPS