Chosen Solution
I had a minor crack in the glass and I wanted to replace it
So I took it to the shop to have the back glass replaced. After he replaced it the camera would not focus properly. So when taking pictures the text in images would come out blurry (for example). But when I told the repairer it’s still blurry he removed the glass and said maybe there is an issue with the glass. The camera will not focus without the glass so the glass maybe faulty. Is this true? Is the glass needed for the camera to focus?
I don’t think that is the case, the Auto focus should still be able to do its job. The auto focus Mechanism on my cellphone went after a bad drop. you will likely need to replace the actual camera. Guide and part are linked Google Pixel Motherboard Replacement
We ran into a similar problem with a customer that brought in a Samsung phone to have us replace the rear camera glass. Their camera would not focus either. Even after replacing the broken back camera glass, this still didn’t fix the problem. Not sure on the Pixel but in my experience, the cover over the camera is only a piece of glass. As far as I know is has nothing to do with the camera focusing. It’s possible that the tech damaged your camera and is just telling you it’s a bad piece of glass because they either don’t know what they’re talking about or they are hoping you just leave it.
Fairly recent phone? Uh they use liquid focus tech or piezo. A field of electricity changes a tiny amount of liquid/solid to achieve focus. How is the glass removed? Usually a heat gun, which is fine anywhere EXCEPT the camera. The process either warped the mechanical lens assembly or evaporated the liquid. Either way an overheated camera=seized focus. Thankfully they’re tiny little click in modules, and fairly cheap. I’m amazed a repair shop didn’t know basics of camera operation.
