iPhone 5, Apple's hotly-anticipated sixth iteration of the iPhone, was launched amidst much fanfare in September; however, the smartphone continues to be plagued by problems. After the Maps app fiasco, issues with Siri, and complaints with regard to the rear of the handset getting scratched, adding to iPhone 5 users' woes is the "purple flare" camera issue.

When iPhone 5 users point the device towards a bright light whilst clicking a photograph, and move the smartphone to avoid the light, they are left with a purple flare on the image. This problem also happens when a user is near fluorescent lights, LED's, and PC monitors.

The problem with iPhone 5's camera emerged post the smartphone's shipment, with users complaining of a purple haze. The issue was flagged by forum user "Kaido" who put up several images that showed the problem. Kaido also found that the issue was affecting at least five different handsets from both AT&T and Verizon in both the color variants.

On Sunday, Oct. 7, Apple posted a public support document on its Web site to tackle the issue.

"Most small cameras, including those in every generation of iPhone, may exhibit some form of flare at the edge of the frame when capturing an image with out-of-scene light sources. This can happen when a light source is positioned at an angle (usually just outside the field of view) so that it causes a reflection off the surfaces inside the camera module and onto the camera sensor," stated Apple.

Apple also provided a solution to the issue asking users to move the camera to remove the purple flare oddity.

"Moving the camera slightly to change the position at which the bright light is entering the lens, or shielding the lens with your hand, should minimize or eliminate the effect," noted the post.

Additionally, according to GizmoChina, Apple sent an e-mail to Gizmodo where it averred that the issue was normal and that it would not be issuing refunds.

"Our engineering team has provided the information and we recommend that you use the camera angles away from the light source when taking a picture. The light glittering purple emerging picture is a normal phenomenon in the camera of the iPhone 5," stated the Apple e-mail.