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Apple says don't attach iPhones to your motorcycle...

Wandrng

Just a nerd who rides
Member
... if you care about the camera.

Apple published a message/article on Sept 10, 2021

Exposure to vibrations, like those generated by high-powered motorcycle engines, might impact iPhone cameras​

Exposing your iPhone to high amplitude vibrations within certain frequency ranges, specifically those generated by high-power motorcycle engines, can degrade the performance of the camera system.

Complete Article: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT212803

( I don't have an iphone at all, just posted this as an FYI )
 
There's been conversations about this when someone asks about a phone mount. My opinion has always been that vibration and exposure to sun etc, can't be good for a phone of any kind. They sure don't like heat! With that said, I want my phone on me in case I go down. It sure would suck being injured and knowing that you're phone is with the bike, or scattered across the road, and you can't get to it to call for help. Thanks for posting!
 
Interesting article. I would guess it would include Android phones as swell as I believe all cell phones use the same or similar technology and chip suppliers.
 
I like the phone exposed so I can you can use it easily. On the other hand I always want my wallet on me so there is ID and my insurance card. I want the emergency room motivated with insurance!
 
What is missing from the article is the actual frequency range that needs to be avoided. Just which types of motorcycles are in this frequency range and at what amplitude delivers the actual harm?

Bringing a hammer down on your phone includes all frequencies but the amplitude is what will kill it in one strike.
A vibration dampening cell phone mount will certainty fix the problem of long term exposure to damaging vibrations.

I like to ride with it on my body cause it acts as a good shock absorber.
 
At the VBR 2, Very Boring Rally, put on by Aero Stitch quite some time ago there was a
representative from Garmin. He was there explaining Base Camp. One of the points
was that Garmin vibration test all there GPS. They had a vibration signature for boats,
airplanes and motorcycles. The Zumo line was somewhat new at the time. My Zumo
has worked on all my bikes. My new Montana 680T does not my KLR650. It's meant
for hiking. The screen just rolls, will not fix a location when riding. Being battery
powered it can be only vibration or interference.
 
Cell phones on your person are a health issue few are concerned about but all should be.

I do carry mine on person with bike rides for the safety reasons of access when down if I should so be in need.

Guessing you can choose your poison.

Funny aside. I often touch my phone to verify incoming calls due to falsely perceived vibration from roadway
feedback or engine RPM.
 
Interesting article. I would guess it would include Android phones as swell as I believe all cell phones use the same or similar technology and chip suppliers.

Sorry Harry, but that could be a faulty assumption. There are quite a few differences between these phones. Screens, processors, memory and according to what I have read thus far, the sensor packs are also different - which is the reason for the notification. The sensor pack could be damaged by excessive vibration.

Full disclosure, I am an Android user, but if I had a true choice I would be using a Linux phone. Apple and Android both believe it is their right to get into YOUR business, but I feel Android is a tad less controlling when it comes to that. But neither should be fully trusted in any case.

I have been inside many different phones during my time on this planet - replacing screens, replacing/resoldering connectors, and so on. It's hobbyist work mostly for friends and family. I find them to be a modern technical marvel when it comes to their layout, construction, and durability. They are very impressive indeed.
 
I believe it is mainly the micro-mechanical devices in the camera (focus mechanism and image stabilizer) that are sensitive to vibration. Personally, I would never mount a high-end phone (any brand) with these features directly to a motorcycle.
 
This was my deciding factor to us a purpose built GPS vs the phone.

Over the years I have also wrecked a couple nice digital cameras stored in the saddlebags from vibration - even knowing they were stored in a padded case (albeit not a great padded case) possibly better vibration isolating cased would have prevented losses.
 
another rugged phone that's a great deal.
why the big name brand manufacturers don't make rugged phone is a mystery
 

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Gmaps does not work without cell service
Gmaps does not support sufficient # of vias/waypoints.
Gmaps data mines your usage
unfortunately it does. you just download offline maps to your phone.
my waypoints are pins/flags on my maps. I can put as many as I need. this is blue ridge/smokey mountains. with gmaps your pin is saved 4ever
 

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unfortunately it does. you just download offline maps to your phone.
my waypoints are pins/flags on my maps. I can put as many as I need. this is blue ridge/smokey mountains. with gmaps your pin is saved 4ever

What you have done is create a map of waypoints, but not created a route using them.
It is well documented that Gmaps has a hard limit of the number of vias/waypoint used to create a route. Either 10 or 25, depending on how the route is created. https://advrider.com/google-maps-hack-how-to-add-more-than-10-locations/

Garmin Zumo XT can gold up to 1000 waypoints, and up to 100 routes, each containing up to 5971 turns or stops.
 
I was tempted to mount my phone on the bars, but I can get spoken directions in my helmet via bluetooth and leave my phone in my pocket if I'm just dead set on using my phone for navigation. Bottom line for me was that if I am separated from my bike in the event of an emergency, I want my phone somewhere on my body. I'll continue using the Garmin on the bars.
 
I was tempted to mount my phone on the bars, but I can get spoken directions in my helmet via bluetooth and leave my phone in my pocket if I'm just dead set on using my phone for navigation. Bottom line for me was that if I am separated from my bike in the event of an emergency, I want my phone somewhere on my body. I'll continue using the Garmin on the bars.

What works for me is keeping iPhone in powered tank bag, and use Garmin Zumo XT with BT Scala helmet headset. My contingency if I get separated form the bike is Apple Watch.
YMMV.
 
have you ever tried to plan a route using garmins base camp? it's deplorable. I guess I'm on my own on this one fellas.
 
I'm not going to say g maps is perfect because sometimes it will try to take you the fastest way but if you put a longitude latitude pin down it forces it to go the way you want to go.
 
Gmaps does not work without cell service
Gmaps does not support sufficient # of vias/waypoints.
Gmaps data mines your usage

All true, but you can download maps in advance so you're not lost without cell service - but you will not get waypoint info without a connection.
 
You're not alone. I use Gmaps exclusively. Why carry another device?

Ever wonder how Google gets their traffic or best route data? Simple, they got it, or get it from YOU. You're their scout that is giving them live telemetry on what is moving and what isn't. But that's just the tip of the iceberg. Trust them? I wouldn't.

It's Garmin time if I start going on long trips to unfamiliar areas.
 
I believe it is mainly the micro-mechanical devices in the camera (focus mechanism and image stabilizer) that are sensitive to vibration. Personally, I would never mount a high-end phone (any brand) with these features directly to a motorcycle.

You are correct, they were concerned about the camera components among other concerns including the sensors which are highly fragile and have tiny pivot points.
 
I have tried revere motorcycle mapping too. gotta pay $30 plus a year. I tried it(it was awful) gmaps is free and simple to use.
 
Another option.

You don't need to use your active phone to navigate, listen to music or audiobooks. Just setup a prior phone as your GPS/music player. There are plenty nav apps out there you can load on a prior phone with no issue. HERE maps works pretty good and is used behind the scenes by some other vendors. For example, Samsung watches that have built-in GPS use Here as the nav app. It is small, quick, and effective. And you don't have anyone looking over your shoulder when you use it - like Google, Apple or whomever because you're not connected to a server! You have cut the cord so to speak, but you would not get traffic alerts in this scenario unless you setup your active phone to serve as a hotspot for data.

You can populate the phone with MP3 files or audiobooks for entertainment and that's all you need. You couldn't care less about the camera, sensors, or any other parts of a prior phone from a desk drawer! Keep your active phone on you person, safe and sound.
 
My Samsung Galaxy S7 was a victim of this back in May. I have been riding with my phone in a cell phone holder mounted to my handlebars. Soon after our Arkansas ride my phone went black. Tried several things to try and recover my data and pictures to no avail. This October's ride will find my new cell phone in my jacket pocket. And the handy cell phone holder will be retired to the trash can.
 
My Samsung Galaxy S7 was a victim of this back in May. I have been riding with my phone in a cell phone holder mounted to my handlebars. Soon after our Arkansas ride my phone went black. Tried several things to try and recover my data and pictures to no avail. This October's ride will find my new cell phone in my jacket pocket. And the handy cell phone holder will be retired to the trash can.
if you were using Google photos and google one backup. all your info would be in the cloud. hence you break a phone or swap phones. just log in to google and your apps/ contacts/info will load in.
this is a great failsafe.
 
My Samsung Galaxy S7 was a victim of this back in May. I have been riding with my phone in a cell phone holder mounted to my handlebars. Soon after our Arkansas ride my phone went black. Tried several things to try and recover my data and pictures to no avail. This October's ride will find my new cell phone in my jacket pocket. And the handy cell phone holder will be retired to the trash can.

"Ruggedized" items are not an entirely different product contrary to what their sellers claim. They are fundamentally the same inside as their non-rugged equivalents with more durable external shells (case and glass) that enhance the environmental protection of the entire device. And I refuse to spend hours providing part numbers and OEM data that no one wants to read anyway - just to prove it. All I will say is, there is no such thing as a consumer grade purpose built "rugged" - processor, chipset, motherboard, memory module, I/O chip, microphone, speaker, or com chip, to name a few cell phone components. The exception would be hardware built for the government/military which would also incorporate Faraday elements. That stuff is beyond our means and is not available to the public.

In all fairness, you were were long overdue for a replacement prior to Arkansas, and this may have happened anyway - that was just the timing of it. An S7 is close to SIX generations old and this stuff is only designed to make 3 generations. Any more than that should be considered bonus time with it. My wife's generation newer S8 basically dropped dead one day last year. It was not damaged, dropped, or mistreated in any way - it just gave up. I warned her many times earlier in the year that day was coming - it was going to happen, and it did. We quit getting year old "new" phones a long ago because they were already a year into their useful lifespan and it wasn't worth the discounted price to get them.

The fact of the matter is, we push this stuff to the raggedy edge when it comes to performance, battery life, brightness, charging rate, impact resistance, vibration, light weight, water resistance, and a big one heat dissipation, plus a host of other stringent requirements. When you consider the functional variables smart phones must tolerate daily and operate flawlessly - 3 years is actually a pretty successful lifespan. Mobile equipment just does not last as long as similar items that are not built for mobile use.

This is an example I used to make the point long ago, but the point is the same today. A home stereo receiver vs a car stereo receiver.
Generally speaking a home unit is designed to work with the variables:
Input voltage 100-120v of highly clean and controlled power
Safe temperature 32 - 90 degrees
Low to no vibration
Out of direct sunlight
Dry, with low to no humidity
In a well ventilated area.

A car stereo on the other hand is expected to work under these more radical variables
Input voltage 10.6 -14.4v of poorly regulated and dirty power - quite a dramatic difference in voltage alone much less the low power quality!
Safe temperature -20 - 120 (higher in some cases) Just let that sink in a moment.....
All the vibration your body and the vehicle can stand, including collision survival in most cases.
Direct sunlight? Of course because it can be mounted where it will fit, including the top of the dashboard!
It will tolerate High and low humidity and in most cases fog in and around the vehicle. Some units are made for boats!!
And these units operate in cramped spaces with little to no ventilation in many cases.

And the car stereo is expected to do this in a package that is 1/5 the size of its home version while being packed with filters and conditioning circuitry to cope with the dirty power and noisy reception surroundings! All the while delivering a high fidelity experience on par with its home based version, although I would never say exactly on par with a home unit - but close enough when you consider the miracle of its construction...
 
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My Samsung Galaxy S7 was a victim of this back in May. I have been riding with my phone in a cell phone holder mounted to my handlebars. Soon after our Arkansas ride my phone went black. Tried several things to try and recover my data and pictures to no avail. This October's ride will find my new cell phone in my jacket pocket. And the handy cell phone holder will be retired to the trash can.

Jim, if you still have that phone I will be happy to attempt a picture/data recovery for you - no charge, I am happy to help. I hate, Hate, HATE losing data. And the poster that mentioned Goggle drive may be correct if it was setup to sync with it. But they are not always setup to do so.

Best of luck
 
I suspect a simple rubber damper of some sort on the mount for the phone is all you'd need, (unless you're on a Harley).
 
My old G 5 is on a ram x mount running mapsme at a 20 to 50 mile range. Nav is by the Zumo. Current phone is in my pocket.
Mapsme is offline and can do navigation if needed and is free.
BaseCamp has a learning curve but once you get the hang of it no problem.
Many of the locations I ride have no cell service, so you still need to plan ahead and download the maps to use cell based services.
I got off to get gas in the NY metro area and Wase couldn't recalculate do to network overload. Garmin, no problem.
 
This thread is a written monument to the ingenuity and adaptability of man. Very educational!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Garmin is useless compared to google maps
base camp/route planning is like pulling teeth. it's horrible.
I say again. just save your waypoints to gmaps and go!
do u c my waypoints? I can easily get around anywhere in the smokies and blu ridge without cell service!
just download offline maps to your phone
 

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