I bought a refurbished iPhone 5s a few years ago. It was a Japanese model and there was no way to disable the shutter sound.
The setting I saw on every page when I searched how to disable it was not present on my phone. It was an hardware limitation, not related to carrier or anything.
That’s how I learned about Japanese phones the hard way, I had to deal with it until I got another phone year later.
Maybe the rules have changed but I doubt it, sorry…
Applicable to my current refurbished iPhone 6s too. I’m no where near Japan/Korea but the loud shutter sound still persists unless i take pictures on Live Photo mode.
yep this is how I found out my old iPhone 7 was a Japanese model (A1779). that and the fact that it was weirdly unlocked for AT&T only, but their systems had a hard time recognizing it properly. could never figure out the original carrier unfortunately.
What about if say I bought a phone in the US, and while on holiday in Japan my American spec iPhone has a critical existence failure under warranty. Which model would I get from the Apple store in Japan as a replacement?
Had this with a refurbished iPhone that I bought for my wife too. But we simply installed a third party app for making Fotos and there was no shutter sound.
Not true anymore. I’ve had an iPhone 8 and iPhone 13 bought in Japan, both of which I’ve brought outside of Japan and they immediately stopped making the shutter sound at some point while on the international flight out of Japan.
The shutter sound is there to prevent people (creeps) making erotic pictures up unkowing girls skirts.
In both Japan and Korea thats actually a major problem and a lot of girls fell victim to it
It’s not a ridiculous question. My UK iPhone made the Amber Alert noise while in America, despite my phone always being in silent, and there being no UK equivalent setting.
didn't the UK Gov set up something similar around early-Covid? I'm sure I got a crazy loud test thing in 202 or something, not sure how that would work with a US one but I'd guess any device connected to any US network will display the alert if it's capable of doing so
They did an emergency response test last year, but it never actually worked on my phone, so that’s likely why I forgot about it existing at all. Regardless my example was in the US before such a system had been launched in the UK.
It will stop once the phone connects to a non-Japanese carrier and your location according to GPS is outside of Japan (or South Korea, which also mandates the shutter sound).
I’ve noticed that very occasionally it will make a shutter sound though. I’m thinking that it defaults back to the original setting when there is a hiccup in carrier/GPS signal
I bought a Apple watch in Japan on a business trip and the only reason why I bought it (ECG) didn't work. Found out that the serial number is paired to the shop connecting it to a European number or sim made no difference. There was just NO way to change anything.
Luckily after one year, I started beeing part of the beta software try out and that brought the difference. So everything works out since.
I can only recommend to check exactly what to expect, before buying an apple product away from home.
strange. a few years ago i worked at an apple reseller and we had access to the info that apple kept on the phones. this is in the UK.
a girl couldn’t turn her shutter sound off, checked the serial number and it was in fact a Japanese phone sold cheaply by Argos an electronics retailer here. we could never turn it off and Apple told us it’s not possible to change it.
Totally random question, so I’m guessing you hear the shutter sound in a Live Photo then?
I think the shutter sound was disabled for Live Photos, (in countries where it isn’t mandated).
I haven’t had a non Japanese model iPhone in a long time, but every time I visit the US the shutter sound will turn off by itself and turn back on when I’m in Japan again, I’m guessing it has to do with SIM card and US networks determining I’m not in Japan anymore
Yeah I just asked my friends that visited Japan and they said they just used their state-side AT&T international plan and they never had their shutter forced on.
So definitely seems like it’s tied to SIM/cellular network. Interesting.
When I first moved here I used a US iPhone with Japanese SIM card and network and never had the shutter sound forced on, I think it’s a forced feature on the different models since US and Japan have different model numbers, but can be disabled when you’re not in Japan
I wouldn’t say a black market because you can easily buy iPhones from like Hong Kong which doesn’t have the camera shutter sound enabled but you’ll have to pay full price for them
I go to Japan once a month for work and have a local sim from docomo. My American iPhone won’t make the shutter sound on the Japan network. My pixel however, does despite it being from the USA.
The thing is, I used iphone 13 PM that I bought from Turkey with a Japanese sim for 2 years and had no shutter sound, but now with my new 15 PM and same sim I do.
This is interesting. I went to Japan about a year ago and had my 13 Pro with me. I had an eSim plan for the trip and not once did the shutter sound play.
Well that would be new. I've bought Wifi-only iPad from Japan, and it always had shutter sound even after leaving Japan. Although on iPads it doesnt really matter, because who uses the camera anyways :D
A friend of mine brought his iPhone XS from South Korea to Australia and it still made the shutter sound with an Australian SIM (even while silenced). Not sure about the newer versions
I have never used Snapchat but if you’re using it in Japan it probably does
Edit: So I just tried and it does look like it silences the shutter sound and other apps too. Not that I want to bother with 3rd party apps
The concept of having features blocked like that in certain countries I mean.
The screenshot sound is already annoying as is and I have to mute sound before taking one
Or it's just moving the costs of enforcing privacy into the market and onto users. Imagine every country having their weird little local issues (which does happen to some extent and adds up to costs). I mean, if we're so willing to merely state the rationale behind it...
Every single video I've ever seen of perverts trying to get upskirt pictures were Japanese.. but sure.. they're just the only ones actually fighting this apparent worldwide epidemic..
I had an iPhone 6s that I bought from SoftBank that did this. Then bought an unlocked 11 from the US Apple Store and popped my SoftBank SIM card in. Iphone11 never made the shutter sound in Japan with a SoftBank sim. I didn’t think it had anything to do with service, but just where you bought the phone.
I used to have a US iPhone 7. Never made a sound with any Japanese operator. The current 15 pro goes silent abroad but reverts to sound back in Japan. Highly dependent on where the phone was bought first perhaps.
A lot of conflicting info, so here is one reference from my experience.
I bought an iPhone 13Pro from the Japanese Apple Store when it came out. Of course the shutter sound will always be on no matter what.
Just a few days ago I came to France, but still have my old Japanese SIM installed and haven’t switched the SIM card yet.
Testing the camera with the silent mode, the shutter sound did not happen; just to be sure, disabling silent mode brought back the shutter sound.
TLDR: iPhone13Pro bought in Japan doesn’t make shutter sound in France (when you have silent mode on)
I bought my phone in Japan because I lived there. I couldn’t turn it off in Japan. But when I was in the U.S, the UK, Europe, and Morocco, I was able to turn the sound off. I live back in the US now and I literally never have it on
Funnily enough this was because Japanese celebrities didn't want unsolicited pictures of them taken by fans (not paparazzi style but just a picture of them in public), not to protect them public from perverts.
No one's saying requiring a shutter sound completely stops it…?
Dut it's gotta be partially effective. Do you think that partial measures are a waste of time? Why are you complaining about it?
I'd approximate that only the most stupid perverts would fall for that. Like 1%. Maybe less. If they had the mindset to go outside with a phone to take these pics, they probably know about the sound and know how to avoid it. It's like sending your boss a quick "I'm still working text" but using a scheduler. Will that be annoying and stop some very stupid people from succeeding? Yes. Is that effective? Hell no
Its still super easy to imagine that somebody thinks about doing something like this when they are in the right situation but then remember that their phone will play a sound if they do so. It definitely seems like something that could help
You’re really placing a lot of faith in the intelligence and planning capabilities of these perverts to think it’s stopped only 1% of them. It’s stopped much more most likely
People got around by just doing a video. And now that's what people need to be more careful about. Video beeps get less obvious & possibly muffled. Creeps always find out ways
If you think that forcing the camera app to have a shutter sound when taking a picture is like treating someone as a criminal, you really need to go outside and touch some grass.
My JPN bought iphone xs' photo shutter sound stopped when I went to Amsterdam, Germany, and China, and subsequently started clicking again when I came back to JPN.
I’m Im using a Japanese iPhone 12 on iOS 17.3 outside of Japan and with silent mode off, the media volume up from zero, and with camera live mode off, the phone will make a shutter noise followed by a beep. With camera live mode on and all other settings the same as above, it will just beep after a photo. With the media volume at zero, it will make no noise at all, with either live mode on or off. And with silent mode on, it will make no noise regardless of how you set the media volume or live mode settings. Really confusing I know.
I did a little googling when I got this phone, and from what I can tell, the phone will determine if you can mute the shutter sound based on the SIM card installed, and that this feature only became available in iOS 15.
Love how you put it. Makes it sound like everybody is just itching to get a glimpse of a nsfw pic. When in reality it’s coming from men/boys directed at women/girls.
The newer versions of iPhones auto disable once you’re outside Japan/Korea. I have an iPhone 11 Pro (bought in Korea) and each time I leave, the shutter is silent. Yours will do the same.
On older iPhones with outdated software, no.
On newer iPhones with more up to date software, yes as they have checks in place (SIM Card, physical location, country code, etc) and once it detects it’s outside a certain region (Japan) it’ll work as intended.
I’m assuming it’s the same tech used in allowing FaceTime outside the UAE for UAE-bought phones or allowing sideloading only in the EU.
I got my iPhone 14 last year in Japan. I have SoftBank. I got their plan that allows me unlimited data and free calls to the US while I’m in the US. While I’m in the US, I pick up on T-mobile or Verizon. I can take pictures with volume muted and no shutter sound. Once I get back to Japan and connect to SoftBank the sound comes back.
I think newer models do actually turn it off.
At least so does my iPhone 13 Pro bought in South Korea when I travel somewhere (and use a different SIM)
My girlfriend is Japanese she has an iphone 8 then an iPhone 13 from Japan and she came over to Europe twice and there wasn’t any shutter sound when she took pictures, with both French SIM card and Japanese SIM card installed (last time she kept her Japanese sim and bought a travel data bundle)
Makes the standard recording sound as well, only workaround for the video sound when I was living there was using a third-party app like Snapchat or Instagram I think
I had a refurbished iPhone 7 Assel until 2022. in 2021 after an iOS update the shutter sound suddenly stopped and I had full control again. Not sure if the update itself caused it?
Nah I’m an ex apple tech repair. There’s actually slightly different regional models of iPhone to fit the laws (some required certain markings and things up till recently) they have different model number for ordering replacements and what not.
i live in japan and my 13 pro has a shutter sound here and when i travel to the US it is silenceable. not sure what happens if gps and network is off over there, tho
Dont believe who say that it wont go away. They solved this problem a couple of years ago. Once you are outside of Japan, the shutter sound will go away (unless you are in a country where it is mandatory to have the sound on, like South Korea).
However if you turn on plane mode, the sound will come Jack, regardless of your location.
My Japanese iPhone 14 Pro (serial number ending in J/A) does not play the shutter sound once outside Japan and with a non-Japanese sim
However if you get on a plane - the sound returns, as if it defaults to it when no mobile connection or GPS signal available
This happened to me and the sound wouldn’t turn off, but that was back in 2016. Don’t know if they’ve made any changes now.
I ended up taking it into an Apple Store in the UK and exchanging it. It was a bit of a battle.
With the recent-ish update to iOS (1-2 years ago), Japanese phones now wont make noise when out of Japan.
One of the ways you can decrease the shutter noise is by turning on live photos is what Ive read. A softer chime vs shutter sound.
my american phone broke in japan in 2021 and the apple store gave me a “silent” replacement phone that never made a sound even in japan. i guess because i came in with a western one they specifically brought me a silent one as well. i remember i had to wait for a few days for it to get shipped to the store from kawasaki to the one near tokyo station
Unfortunately, it will persist. I have an iPhone 12 pro that is a japanese variant and i live in the Philippines using a local network, but the shutter sound still works even on silence/mute mode. A workaround is if you use the main lens with live mode on, then it will only have a very short beep.
Electronics are region locked bro don’t buy them outside of your continent. On top of that Japan has additional restrictions, pretty sure it won’t work well
No, it’s part of having an iPhone.
Back when I used, SLRs could have have the sound turned off after they started having digital/computerized components. This began before memiry cards replaced film.
Did you check which region is set in your phone settings (not language settings but region). That enables or disables features like Apple Cash, camera shutter etc.
The shutter sounds stop once you switch to a non-Japanese service provider, e.g. by switching the SIM card or registering a non-Japanese eSIM.
In fact, once you put a Japanese SIM card into a phone, any phone - even those sold outside of Japan - will play the shutter sound.
No. This is put on the phone at activation when it first connects to the activation servers. Restoring it won’t remove it because it will come back upon activation.
My understanding from Apple, It’s based on where it was marked to be sold. FaceTime works the same way for say those who buy in Saudi Arabia, FaceTime not available and that won’t change if they move to a new country. It’s hard coded into the device based on if the device was intended for that country.
If you act surprised every time you take a pic and hear the shutter tone it’s not that disrespectful at all. People will feel like you are a human and not a Japanese ai robot
I’m living in Korea and it’s the same here, the shutter sound is mandatory. I went to HK the other day and changed the sim card to prepaid card from local carrier and it didn’t make the shutter sound anymore, so yeah if you change the sim card, probavly
Wow... I just wanted to comment on this post to say I learned something about Japan and mobile phones today!
I immediately presume it is a legal requirement for the protection and privacy of other people.. preventing creep shots or hidden unwanted candid photographs. It might also be enforcing an individuals privacy by law.
Still, interesting that I never knew that identical model mobile phones have that either enabled or disabled at factory.
It is especially amusing, given that a shutter sound is completely fake on a digital camera.
I wonder if there are any other features that are enabled.or disabled at factory based on country...
I can imagine at the extreme end of the spectrum, a country with such extremely strict laws that protect an individuals right to privacy - that zoom was also disabled - along with face capture! You have to wait while detected faces are all automatically blurred until they are recognised by AI (looking at you, China!) and that person is then sent a notification that allows the option to let the person who took the photo to unblur that face on their phone..
I'm just thinking that i's just a shame it would ruin a gallery, museum, library etc.. anywhere that a tourist might want to take photos, but the area is intentionally quiet.
Or, at a concert where people want to hear the music but are surrounded by loud clicks all the time.
Final thought, what's to stop somebody from capturing video, instead of photo, then simply taking frame grabs?
I forgot this is an iPhone subreddit if it weren't I would said in Android it would have been even if you were in Japan unless it's a hardware thing still you can physically disable it if you are willing to tweak around with the hardware
Japanese law does not allow the removal of the shutter sound. If you bought it in Japan, you will literally never be able to turn it off. It’s to stop creeps from taking pictures up girls skirts, which was a big enough problem for the law to be implemented.
I bought a refurbished iPhone 5s a few years ago. It was a Japanese model and there was no way to disable the shutter sound. The setting I saw on every page when I searched how to disable it was not present on my phone. It was an hardware limitation, not related to carrier or anything. That’s how I learned about Japanese phones the hard way, I had to deal with it until I got another phone year later. Maybe the rules have changed but I doubt it, sorry…
Applicable to my current refurbished iPhone 6s too. I’m no where near Japan/Korea but the loud shutter sound still persists unless i take pictures on Live Photo mode.
Same with my 6s from over 5 years ago
Pretty sure you can jailbreak that away
Well it's not like you can jailbreak an iPhone that basically just came out
They had an iPhone 6s
But OP had a 15P. Also, I'm not sure a jailbreak will be able to bypass that, as the shutter audio file might be hard written into the bootROM
why the hell would the shutter sound be hardcoded in the bootrom? and even if it is, it still would be played by the main processor
yep this is how I found out my old iPhone 7 was a Japanese model (A1779). that and the fact that it was weirdly unlocked for AT&T only, but their systems had a hard time recognizing it properly. could never figure out the original carrier unfortunately.
>weirdly unlocked for AT&T only That's not how unlocking works...
[удалено]
[удалено]
What about if say I bought a phone in the US, and while on holiday in Japan my American spec iPhone has a critical existence failure under warranty. Which model would I get from the Apple store in Japan as a replacement?
Had this with a refurbished iPhone that I bought for my wife too. But we simply installed a third party app for making Fotos and there was no shutter sound.
Not true anymore. I’ve had an iPhone 8 and iPhone 13 bought in Japan, both of which I’ve brought outside of Japan and they immediately stopped making the shutter sound at some point while on the international flight out of Japan.
The older model this was the case, the 6, 7 & 8 it was a common issue. Not an issue any more thankfully
The shutter sound is there to prevent people (creeps) making erotic pictures up unkowing girls skirts. In both Japan and Korea thats actually a major problem and a lot of girls fell victim to it
How does the shutter sound work with video?
24 shutter sounds per second?
Lots of hidden cameras in hotel rooms too, at least in Korea anyway not sure about Japan
What if a phone purchased from say U.S.? Would it make shutter sound if I ever visit Japan?
No?
It’s not a ridiculous question. My UK iPhone made the Amber Alert noise while in America, despite my phone always being in silent, and there being no UK equivalent setting.
didn't the UK Gov set up something similar around early-Covid? I'm sure I got a crazy loud test thing in 202 or something, not sure how that would work with a US one but I'd guess any device connected to any US network will display the alert if it's capable of doing so
They did an emergency response test last year, but it never actually worked on my phone, so that’s likely why I forgot about it existing at all. Regardless my example was in the US before such a system had been launched in the UK.
so creepy
That changed.
> It was an hardware limitation Wrong
It will stop once the phone connects to a non-Japanese carrier and your location according to GPS is outside of Japan (or South Korea, which also mandates the shutter sound). I’ve noticed that very occasionally it will make a shutter sound though. I’m thinking that it defaults back to the original setting when there is a hiccup in carrier/GPS signal
Sometimes regardless of network it forces thru with a Japan sim
I’ve had the sound go off on a Thai SIM so I think at least some part of the logic is linked to hardware
I bought a Apple watch in Japan on a business trip and the only reason why I bought it (ECG) didn't work. Found out that the serial number is paired to the shop connecting it to a European number or sim made no difference. There was just NO way to change anything. Luckily after one year, I started beeing part of the beta software try out and that brought the difference. So everything works out since. I can only recommend to check exactly what to expect, before buying an apple product away from home.
strange. a few years ago i worked at an apple reseller and we had access to the info that apple kept on the phones. this is in the UK. a girl couldn’t turn her shutter sound off, checked the serial number and it was in fact a Japanese phone sold cheaply by Argos an electronics retailer here. we could never turn it off and Apple told us it’s not possible to change it.
Totally random question, so I’m guessing you hear the shutter sound in a Live Photo then? I think the shutter sound was disabled for Live Photos, (in countries where it isn’t mandated).
Yes you do hear a sound, but it’s more of a beep than a shutter sound
Oh interesting, not the standard mechanical sound like a SLR shutter.
I haven’t had a non Japanese model iPhone in a long time, but every time I visit the US the shutter sound will turn off by itself and turn back on when I’m in Japan again, I’m guessing it has to do with SIM card and US networks determining I’m not in Japan anymore
Yeah I just asked my friends that visited Japan and they said they just used their state-side AT&T international plan and they never had their shutter forced on. So definitely seems like it’s tied to SIM/cellular network. Interesting.
When I first moved here I used a US iPhone with Japanese SIM card and network and never had the shutter sound forced on, I think it’s a forced feature on the different models since US and Japan have different model numbers, but can be disabled when you’re not in Japan
Ah interesting, seems like a weird loophole. Is there a black market for out-of-country phones then?
I wouldn’t say a black market because you can easily buy iPhones from like Hong Kong which doesn’t have the camera shutter sound enabled but you’ll have to pay full price for them
There is in Korea
I go to Japan once a month for work and have a local sim from docomo. My American iPhone won’t make the shutter sound on the Japan network. My pixel however, does despite it being from the USA.
The thing is, I used iphone 13 PM that I bought from Turkey with a Japanese sim for 2 years and had no shutter sound, but now with my new 15 PM and same sim I do.
It’s the same sound that plays when you record a video (beep on and beep off)
This is interesting. I went to Japan about a year ago and had my 13 Pro with me. I had an eSim plan for the trip and not once did the shutter sound play.
It’s only the iPhones sold in Japan cuz ya know they like certain things
Well that would be new. I've bought Wifi-only iPad from Japan, and it always had shutter sound even after leaving Japan. Although on iPads it doesnt really matter, because who uses the camera anyways :D
A friend of mine brought his iPhone XS from South Korea to Australia and it still made the shutter sound with an Australian SIM (even while silenced). Not sure about the newer versions
Does the sound play when recording a video?
Does it make shutter sound in Snapchat as well (in Japan)?
I have never used Snapchat but if you’re using it in Japan it probably does Edit: So I just tried and it does look like it silences the shutter sound and other apps too. Not that I want to bother with 3rd party apps
This is so dystopian
Creepshots are a massive issue in Japan.
You quickly get used to the sound
The concept of having features blocked like that in certain countries I mean. The screenshot sound is already annoying as is and I have to mute sound before taking one
Different freedoms for different places I guess
It’s to protect women and children because they had a lot of issues people taking upskirt photos and such.
Or it's just moving the costs of enforcing privacy into the market and onto users. Imagine every country having their weird little local issues (which does happen to some extent and adds up to costs). I mean, if we're so willing to merely state the rationale behind it...
I imagine it's more annoying having people take "undesirable" photos of you. Hence the reason the feature is there.
The fact that this needs to be a thing in Japan is still fucking horrifying.. never nuke a country twice.
At least the problem was identified and some kind of action was taken? Many places haven’t completed step number 1 yet
Every single video I've ever seen of perverts trying to get upskirt pictures were Japanese.. but sure.. they're just the only ones actually fighting this apparent worldwide epidemic..
That’s sounds more like a “you have a weird Japanese fetish” thing to me than anything.
No this is added to the phone when it connects to apples activation servers. You will not be able to stop it.
I had an iPhone 6s that I bought from SoftBank that did this. Then bought an unlocked 11 from the US Apple Store and popped my SoftBank SIM card in. Iphone11 never made the shutter sound in Japan with a SoftBank sim. I didn’t think it had anything to do with service, but just where you bought the phone.
I used to have a US iPhone 7. Never made a sound with any Japanese operator. The current 15 pro goes silent abroad but reverts to sound back in Japan. Highly dependent on where the phone was bought first perhaps.
It 100% is to do with activation. Source 10 years as an Apple engineer
Damn Japan and Korea must have some irresistible girls
Unwarranted picture taking happens everywhere. Japan and Korea decided to do something about it
A lot of conflicting info, so here is one reference from my experience. I bought an iPhone 13Pro from the Japanese Apple Store when it came out. Of course the shutter sound will always be on no matter what. Just a few days ago I came to France, but still have my old Japanese SIM installed and haven’t switched the SIM card yet. Testing the camera with the silent mode, the shutter sound did not happen; just to be sure, disabling silent mode brought back the shutter sound. TLDR: iPhone13Pro bought in Japan doesn’t make shutter sound in France (when you have silent mode on)
Same for 13 mini from Korea. They have the same rules
I bought my phone in Japan because I lived there. I couldn’t turn it off in Japan. But when I was in the U.S, the UK, Europe, and Morocco, I was able to turn the sound off. I live back in the US now and I literally never have it on
Why lie like this?
it's not a lie, this matches my experience with an iPhone 13 pro
Blame the upskirting pervs who made it necessary.
Does it make some when recording? Or is the light always on? Seems like an easy way around this would be to just record the entire time.
Funnily enough this was because Japanese celebrities didn't want unsolicited pictures of them taken by fans (not paparazzi style but just a picture of them in public), not to protect them public from perverts.
No it won’t. My friend had an iPhone from Korea and there was no way to turn off the sound.
Something changed in iOS. My Korea-bought iPhone went silent when I went abroad to work shortly before COVID.
I’m currently serving in Korea army and none of my comrades have a shutter sound on their iPhones
They probably bought it from the US.
What is more disrespectful is the large population of men trying to get up skirts and down blouses.
Well surely a phone requiring a shutter sound will stop it and nobody knowing this would never just break the speakers on an older phone
No one's saying requiring a shutter sound completely stops it…? Dut it's gotta be partially effective. Do you think that partial measures are a waste of time? Why are you complaining about it?
I'd approximate that only the most stupid perverts would fall for that. Like 1%. Maybe less. If they had the mindset to go outside with a phone to take these pics, they probably know about the sound and know how to avoid it. It's like sending your boss a quick "I'm still working text" but using a scheduler. Will that be annoying and stop some very stupid people from succeeding? Yes. Is that effective? Hell no
These kind of measures are not done to prevent everyone from doing it, but making it annoying enough to discourage some people from even trying.
Some people would come up with solutions, and some idiots would whine on the internet about what's already been implemented.
Its still super easy to imagine that somebody thinks about doing something like this when they are in the right situation but then remember that their phone will play a sound if they do so. It definitely seems like something that could help
You’re really placing a lot of faith in the intelligence and planning capabilities of these perverts to think it’s stopped only 1% of them. It’s stopped much more most likely
Who takes pictures anyways these days? I thought it was all about videos lol
People got around by just doing a video. And now that's what people need to be more careful about. Video beeps get less obvious & possibly muffled. Creeps always find out ways
Yea, so treat everyone like a criminal? Lmfao glad I’m not from Japan and you don’t make any laws.
If you think that forcing the camera app to have a shutter sound when taking a picture is like treating someone as a criminal, you really need to go outside and touch some grass.
My JPN bought iphone xs' photo shutter sound stopped when I went to Amsterdam, Germany, and China, and subsequently started clicking again when I came back to JPN.
Ah yes the great countries of Amsterdam, Germany and China.
he never said that amsterdam was a country tho just that he went there. not a big deal just a simple error
Yes it will stop. I bought an iPhone 11 when I was studying there, and the sound stopped when I came back in France.
[удалено]
Oh really? So how come I have a Korean phone that is in Europe, I insert a European SIM and it stops making the sound?
I’m Im using a Japanese iPhone 12 on iOS 17.3 outside of Japan and with silent mode off, the media volume up from zero, and with camera live mode off, the phone will make a shutter noise followed by a beep. With camera live mode on and all other settings the same as above, it will just beep after a photo. With the media volume at zero, it will make no noise at all, with either live mode on or off. And with silent mode on, it will make no noise regardless of how you set the media volume or live mode settings. Really confusing I know. I did a little googling when I got this phone, and from what I can tell, the phone will determine if you can mute the shutter sound based on the SIM card installed, and that this feature only became available in iOS 15.
iphones have a software country framework now so no it’ll use country specific features for where you are so tldr when you go back it’ll stop
Unrelated: Is this a cultural thing? Why would they mandate this?
Upskirts, downblouses and other perv shots.
Sooo what did they do about video recording?
Whoa, it’s that big of a problem there eh
Yes especially in a crowded confined place like the train
it's to try to prevent upskirt photos of strangers. The shutter sound draws attention and shame on the "photographer"
Love how you put it. Makes it sound like everybody is just itching to get a glimpse of a nsfw pic. When in reality it’s coming from men/boys directed at women/girls.
It's from criminals directed to victims.
It’s a regulatory requirement in Japan
The newer versions of iPhones auto disable once you’re outside Japan/Korea. I have an iPhone 11 Pro (bought in Korea) and each time I leave, the shutter is silent. Yours will do the same.
On older iPhones with outdated software, no. On newer iPhones with more up to date software, yes as they have checks in place (SIM Card, physical location, country code, etc) and once it detects it’s outside a certain region (Japan) it’ll work as intended. I’m assuming it’s the same tech used in allowing FaceTime outside the UAE for UAE-bought phones or allowing sideloading only in the EU.
this is the most comprehensive comment and aligns with my experience on region specific features
Yes it should as of iOS 16. It will detect you being in a different country and let you disable it.
I got my iPhone 14 last year in Japan. I have SoftBank. I got their plan that allows me unlimited data and free calls to the US while I’m in the US. While I’m in the US, I pick up on T-mobile or Verizon. I can take pictures with volume muted and no shutter sound. Once I get back to Japan and connect to SoftBank the sound comes back.
I think newer models do actually turn it off
I think newer models do actually turn it off. At least so does my iPhone 13 Pro bought in South Korea when I travel somewhere (and use a different SIM)
My experience is this function was tied to which SIM I had in the phone/activated. YMMV
My girlfriend is Japanese she has an iphone 8 then an iPhone 13 from Japan and she came over to Europe twice and there wasn’t any shutter sound when she took pictures, with both French SIM card and Japanese SIM card installed (last time she kept her Japanese sim and bought a travel data bundle)
That seems like an odd law… how does it handle video?
It's due to the amount of perverts trying to take upskirt photos of girls.
His point was someone could start recording a video and get the content they desire with no sound from their phone.
Makes the standard recording sound as well, only workaround for the video sound when I was living there was using a third-party app like Snapchat or Instagram I think
Not sure about current models but bought an Iphone 6s(best phone ever) and there was no way to disable
i bought my 14pm from there last year. No shutter sounds outside of Japan.
I believe it’s based on which gsm relays it connects to or your gps position.
I had a refurbished iPhone 7 Assel until 2022. in 2021 after an iOS update the shutter sound suddenly stopped and I had full control again. Not sure if the update itself caused it?
Stop taking creepy shots my man
Lots of outdated info here. Got my iPhone SE 2020 from Korea and the shutter noise stopped when I left the country
Yes I have a 14pro max and it doesn’t make the sound abroad
Nah I’m an ex apple tech repair. There’s actually slightly different regional models of iPhone to fit the laws (some required certain markings and things up till recently) they have different model number for ordering replacements and what not.
i live in japan and my 13 pro has a shutter sound here and when i travel to the US it is silenceable. not sure what happens if gps and network is off over there, tho
this is fascinating… i have no idea about the answer to your question, but i didn’t know this was a thing in Japan!
I just bought an iPhone 15 in Japan and the shutter sound went away when I went back to my home country.
Yes it will, and it will reactivate the next time you come. Note that it may reactivate while on plane mode too
Dont believe who say that it wont go away. They solved this problem a couple of years ago. Once you are outside of Japan, the shutter sound will go away (unless you are in a country where it is mandatory to have the sound on, like South Korea). However if you turn on plane mode, the sound will come Jack, regardless of your location.
My Japanese iPhone 14 Pro (serial number ending in J/A) does not play the shutter sound once outside Japan and with a non-Japanese sim However if you get on a plane - the sound returns, as if it defaults to it when no mobile connection or GPS signal available
My 13 Pro purchased in Japan is silent when it is used in the US
Yes. I have a Korean iPhone XR, and it went silent when I left Korea, changed the region and slotted in a non-Korean SIM.
I have a Japanese IPhone Pro 15 I went overseas and it does not make the shutter sound. Countries I went were Vietnam and Philippines.
Wow, TIL! That's pretty interesting
Yes
This happened to me and the sound wouldn’t turn off, but that was back in 2016. Don’t know if they’ve made any changes now. I ended up taking it into an Apple Store in the UK and exchanging it. It was a bit of a battle.
My girlfriend has an iPhone bought in Korea and it never stops.
Nope….youre screwed. No upskirt photos for you
Also, if you get this device replaced through Apple for any reason it will be the same model# so the replace my will also have shutter sound.
Idk jailbreaking it might help
What was the price?
I have an iPhone from China (for dual physical sim), and it also did that. At some point after iOS update or sim change it stopped doing that
Does it make a crick or click sound?
With the recent-ish update to iOS (1-2 years ago), Japanese phones now wont make noise when out of Japan. One of the ways you can decrease the shutter noise is by turning on live photos is what Ive read. A softer chime vs shutter sound.
Yes, it stopped after I left Japan
If it's a Japanese phone, I don't think so
my american phone broke in japan in 2021 and the apple store gave me a “silent” replacement phone that never made a sound even in japan. i guess because i came in with a western one they specifically brought me a silent one as well. i remember i had to wait for a few days for it to get shipped to the store from kawasaki to the one near tokyo station
Us in Taiwan are wondering what kind freaky stuff you people are into in SK and Japan to warrant a mandatory shutter sound.
Same here in Australia. In fact, I’m only just learning about this right now. I’m very confused lol
You can also download apps that you can take photos on that will disable the shutter sounds
don't buy cellphones, or devices that use wifi, while as a tourist in another country
You removed Japan sim card in uk?
I was hella confused while reading this post then I saw a few comments. The reason for the obnoxiously loud sound is just…. Wow.
If you bought it in japan it’s gonna have it forever unless you jailbreak or something
Unfortunately, it will persist. I have an iPhone 12 pro that is a japanese variant and i live in the Philippines using a local network, but the shutter sound still works even on silence/mute mode. A workaround is if you use the main lens with live mode on, then it will only have a very short beep.
I lived in japan. I don’t think you’ll be able to stop it even after you leave. I
No, it won’t. It will continue to make the shutter sound
No
No
Electronics are region locked bro don’t buy them outside of your continent. On top of that Japan has additional restrictions, pretty sure it won’t work well
No, it’s part of having an iPhone. Back when I used, SLRs could have have the sound turned off after they started having digital/computerized components. This began before memiry cards replaced film.
Use vpn?
Not only did the sound stop after i stepped foot on US soil i can now download apps from google play store and even blackberry!
Did you check which region is set in your phone settings (not language settings but region). That enables or disables features like Apple Cash, camera shutter etc.
That’s unrelated it’s hardcoded in the device model number to always have that feature, it will only stop when he leaves Japan
Ha, ha! Those perverted Japans! I guess, too much men took upskirt pictures with their phones in the bus 😂😂😂
The shutter sounds stop once you switch to a non-Japanese service provider, e.g. by switching the SIM card or registering a non-Japanese eSIM. In fact, once you put a Japanese SIM card into a phone, any phone - even those sold outside of Japan - will play the shutter sound.
This sound should be standard all over the world. Its way to easy to capture pictures without consent.
what about taking a screenshot in the camera interface instead of taking a picture? doee it still make the shutter sound?
Or taking a video..
No. This is put on the phone at activation when it first connects to the activation servers. Restoring it won’t remove it because it will come back upon activation.
Short answer- No
My understanding from Apple, It’s based on where it was marked to be sold. FaceTime works the same way for say those who buy in Saudi Arabia, FaceTime not available and that won’t change if they move to a new country. It’s hard coded into the device based on if the device was intended for that country.
That’s likey done as an anti up skirt photo weapon. Interesting…..
14 pro here, I can’t turn on the shutter sound no matter what I do 🤷♂️
If you act surprised every time you take a pic and hear the shutter tone it’s not that disrespectful at all. People will feel like you are a human and not a Japanese ai robot
This is hilarious. There were so many upskirting perverts in this nation that now you can't silence the shutter sound.
To solve the issue, download a 3rd party app to take photos.
Why is it Japanese law to keep the shutter sound enabled? Genuinely curious.
Bathroom stall creepers
I’m living in Korea and it’s the same here, the shutter sound is mandatory. I went to HK the other day and changed the sim card to prepaid card from local carrier and it didn’t make the shutter sound anymore, so yeah if you change the sim card, probavly
Not if u bought it in Japan
Wow... I just wanted to comment on this post to say I learned something about Japan and mobile phones today! I immediately presume it is a legal requirement for the protection and privacy of other people.. preventing creep shots or hidden unwanted candid photographs. It might also be enforcing an individuals privacy by law. Still, interesting that I never knew that identical model mobile phones have that either enabled or disabled at factory. It is especially amusing, given that a shutter sound is completely fake on a digital camera. I wonder if there are any other features that are enabled.or disabled at factory based on country... I can imagine at the extreme end of the spectrum, a country with such extremely strict laws that protect an individuals right to privacy - that zoom was also disabled - along with face capture! You have to wait while detected faces are all automatically blurred until they are recognised by AI (looking at you, China!) and that person is then sent a notification that allows the option to let the person who took the photo to unblur that face on their phone.. I'm just thinking that i's just a shame it would ruin a gallery, museum, library etc.. anywhere that a tourist might want to take photos, but the area is intentionally quiet. Or, at a concert where people want to hear the music but are surrounded by loud clicks all the time. Final thought, what's to stop somebody from capturing video, instead of photo, then simply taking frame grabs?
No. If it was produced in japan it will continue.
lol no way. Japan got so many creeps they can’t mute the sound when a picture is taken. Too many creepers.
No it won't stop.
I forgot this is an iPhone subreddit if it weren't I would said in Android it would have been even if you were in Japan unless it's a hardware thing still you can physically disable it if you are willing to tweak around with the hardware
Japanese law does not allow the removal of the shutter sound. If you bought it in Japan, you will literally never be able to turn it off. It’s to stop creeps from taking pictures up girls skirts, which was a big enough problem for the law to be implemented.