Some users reported that video calls fail because of the camera not working on Hangouts. This can be a big issue if you want to set up a video meeting with a colleague or friend as you may be able to see them but they can’t see you. While it can be a very annoying problem, it’s actually pretty easy to fix.
In this post, I will guide you in troubleshooting your Android phone that cannot make video calls using Google Hangouts due to a camera problem. We will try to look into all possibilities and then rule them out one after another until we can figure out what the problem really is and hopefully fix it. So continue reading as we may be able to help.
Camera Not Working On Hangouts
Time Needed : 12 minutes
The thing is that the issue might not be with the camera but only with the app or even the firmware. In fact, it might even be just due to a minor glitch. Here’s what you need to do:
Close Hangouts and open again
If this is the first time that you encountered this problem, then it’s possible that it’s just due to a minor app issue. So the first thing that you have to do is to close Hangouts and then open it again to see if that works. 1. Just tap the Recent Apps key and close Hangouts from there. 2. Then pull up the app drawer, find Hangouts and tap on it. Try to do a video call and see if the camera is now working properly.
Restart your phone
If the first solution fails and yet you think the problem isn’t that serious, what you have to do next is a restart. This will refresh your phone’s memory and reload all services. This might be the solution that can make Hangouts work perfectly again.
Check the permission
Should the first two solutions fail and the problem started without apparent reason or cause, then the next thing you have to do is make sure Hangouts permissions are set properly. Most of the time, you will be prompted if you allow an app to use a core service like the camera or microphone. However, there are times when you won’t be prompted. So you should check the permissions manually and here’s how you do that: 1. Swipe up from the bottom of the screen to pull up the app drawer. 2. Go to the screen where the Hangouts app is located. 3. Tap and hold on its icon until options show. 4. Tap App info. 5. Scroll down to find Permissions and tap on it. 6. The next screen will show you the services that the app is allowed to access. 7. Make necessary changes and then try using the app again. When it comes to a problem like this wherein only one service does not work, this procedure can fix it. So I hope that this helps.
Tools
- Hangouts
Materials
- Android
However, if for some reason the problem occurs every now and then, or if the solutions above failed to fix the issue, then the best thing you can do about it is to uninstall Hangouts and then reinstall it.
Doing so will remove all installation files including possibly corrupt cache and data files, and you can rest assured that you’re using the latest version. Here’s how you uninstall and reinstall the app:
- Swipe up from the bottom of the screen to pull up the app drawer.
- Go to the screen where the Hangouts app is located.
- Tap and hold on its icon until options show.
- Tap Uninstall and confirm it.
- Once the app is successfully uninstalled, launch the Play Store.
- Search for ‘hangouts’ and tap the Hangouts app.
- Tap Install and wait until the phone has finished installing the app.
And that’s pretty much what you need to do if you can’t make video calls because of the camera not working on Hangouts.
I hope that we’ve been able to help, and if so, please support us by subscribing to our Youtube channel. Thanks for reading!