iPhone 12/12 Pro Camera not working after replacement

I’m sorry to say this, but Apple has paired the front and rear cameras, battery, Face ID sensor, Screen, and probably more to each every iPhone with a unique serial number. That means if you take an OEM rear camera from one iPhone and install it in another, the iPhone will purposely prevent the iPhone camera app from working properly.

All parts in iphone 12 are paired to the motherboard and cant be replaced by yourself, because only apple can pair new parts to iphones motherboard.

has there been an update on this? has apple backed off yet?

iPhone 12 / 13 / 14 cameras require "calibration" to authorize the serial # of the component using Apple's AST Suite. That software is only available to Apple-authorized shops or in Apple's official service chain. We have one of those shops. For some parts like cameras it has to be a genuine part sourced from Apple and an actual Apple service case created in Apple's back-end system which assigns out that specific part to the serial # of the device you're servicing. Then after the repair, you run the "calibration" software to "mate" the new camera. The system has an expectation of the module you're installing and what device it's specifically going into via that Apple Service / Repair Case. Then and only then will it allow the "mating" of the module. There's no way around it for a camera module that we've seen. With all that said there are some cases where we've seen the aftermarket or non-calibrated cameras come online after the swap but in those cases most of the camera features don't work or work correctly. In those cases there's also a banner notification warning something isn't right with the device on reboot AND in many cases the Face ID stops working too. Your best just passing on these repairs and referring them to an ASP, AASP, or IRP.