What to do when you encounter 'Unfortunately, camera has stopped’ error on your HTC U11? [Troubleshooting Guide]

One of the key features of a smartphone is the camera. In fact, many people would consider looking into the camera specs first than the rest of other features when procuring a new phone. And for that same reason, many people would consider it a big deal when all of a sudden the camera fails to serve its purpose or unable to deliver the desired output. Nonetheless, camera is just another smartphone app that can get bugged and go rogue at any time. Therefore it is inevitable for the camera app to succumb into random types of errors.

A common camera problem affecting many Android smartphones including the HTC U11 is the error saying “Unfortunately, camera has stopped.” When this error prompts, the camera app suddenly stops and then crashes. What causes this error to occur on your HTC U11 and what must be done in order to fix it? If you’re here while searching answers to these same questions, then this post is for you as well. Read on to find out the underlying cause of this camera error and find out which workarounds can be used when attempting to troubleshoot.

But before we go to our troubleshooting, if you happen to be looking for a solution to a different problem, then I suggest you visit our HTC U11 troubleshooting page for we may have already addressed concerns that are similar with yours. Feel free to use our solutions and workarounds. If they don’t work and you need further assistance, you can always contact us by completing our Android issues questionnaire and hitting submit.

Common factors that can trigger the “Camera has stopped” error on your HTC U11

Apparently, this error is tagged among other common software-related problems transpiring in Android devices including your HTC handset. In short, what you’re dealing with is a software issue unless you’ve dropped your phone or got it wet prior to the occurrence of this camera error. Nonetheless, the “Unfortunately, camera has stopped” error typically denotes a software issue rather than hardware damage. It might be triggered by some bugs or malware affecting the camera app. It’s also possible that any of your photo or video files in the Gallery app gets corrupted and somehow affected the camera functions. In most cases, this error is inflicted by a bad software including major updates installed on the phone. This is usually the case when the update contains some bugs that ended up ruining the camera’s normal operations. Cached files and data accumulated in the Camera app, Gallery app, or system partition on your phone can also be the culprit especially when any of these files become corrupted and eventually caused the camera to crash.

Potential solutions to fix “Camera has stopped” error on HTC U11

Considering that everything is good with the physical camera on your phone, you will likely be able to fix the problem by performing any of the following procedures. These methods are deemed potential solutions to software-related problems including the HTC U11 camera error that’s tackled in this post. Be sure to test the camera after performing each method to find out if the problem is fixed or not.

Quit and restart the Camera app.

If this is the first time you encounter the error while using the camera app on your HTC U11, it may be just a random glitch which can be rectified by restarting the app. That being said, quit the camera app for a few seconds and then launch it again to see if the problem is gone. Here’s how:

Press the Recent Apps button.
Then flip through the cards (apps previews) to find Camera app.
Swipe the Camera app preview left or right to close it.
Or you can just close all running apps at once by tapping on Clear All or X.

Reboot your phone (soft reset).

If the first method is unsuccessful or you ended up having the same error popping up while using the camera app, try to perform a soft reset instead.

A soft reset or reboot can help fix minor software issues that might have caused an app like the camera to fail or misbehave.

To do so, simply restart your phone by pressing the Power button and then tap on Restart option.

In the case where your phone is unresponsive as the Camera app prompts the error and gets stuck or crashes, you can do a forced restart instead.

To force your HTC U11 to restart, press and hold the Power and Volume Down buttons simultaneously for a few seconds and then release both buttons when your phone vibrates.

Wait until your phone boots up completely then try to launch the Camera app again to see if the problem if fixed. Rebooting the phone (soft reset) and forced restart can also help clear up some space of the internal memory for better, faster and more stable performance.

Clear cache and data from the camera app.

Just like any other apps, the Camera also stores cache files and data for the same purpose of faster reloading of the same action, user-requests and information. While cache files are useful, they can also trigger some problems to occur on your device especially if any of these temporary files get corrupted. This is the reason why it is recommended to clear cache and data periodically (at least twice a week).

Go to Settings.
Tap Apps or App Manager.
Scroll to and then tap to select Camera app.
Tap Clear data or Storage.
Then tap Clear data.
Finally, tap OK to confirm action.

Clearing the data of your Camera app will delete any settings, saved information, apps configurations and your login details of the app. That said, be sure to take note of this information before you hit the Clear data button.

After clearing the app’s data, restart your phone then relaunch the Camera on your HTC U11.

Update your HTC U11 to the latest software version.

Installing the latest software update for your device can also help deal with any bugs that might have triggered the error to occur while using the Camera app. Doing so will likewise upgrade the camera and further enhances and optimizes your apps. So if you haven’t already, then you should give it a try this time and see if that will fix the camera error.

To check for available software updates on your HTC U11, go to Settings-> About-> Software updates-> Check now. You will see an update notification if a new software version is available for your phone.

Don’t forget to reboot your phone after successfully installing a software update. Doing so will ensure that all changes brought forth by the update file are successfully implemented.

Delete cache and data from Gallery app.

It’s not just the camera app that you need to look into when dealing with this error. The Gallery app is also a potential ground from which the underlying cause resides. The Gallery app stores all your captured photos and recorded videos through the Camera app. If any of these stored media files get corrupted and that you attempted to open a corrupted file from the Gallery on to the Camera app for further editing, then it will likely cause an error. Given that the file you are trying to open is corrupted, it may not work properly as intended.

The process of deleting cache and data from the Gallery is similar to how you clear cache and data from any other apps.

To do so, go to Settings-> Apps or Apps Manager-> Gallery-> Clear data or Storage-> Clear Data, then tap OK to confirm.

After clearing cache and data from the Gallery app, restart your phone then relaunch the Camera app to see if the problem has been resolved with the prior procedure.

Boot into safe mode and diagnose apps.

Booting your HTC U11 into safe mode can help you determine whether or not a third-party app triggers the camera error. All third-party apps and services are temporarily disabled while in Safe Mode. So if the problem does not occur while using the camera in safe mode, it denotes that a third-party app or service is to blame. In this case, you may try to individually uninstall the recently downloaded apps from your device. Test the camera app after an app is removed so that you’ll know when to stop removing apps.

Here’s how to boot your HTC U11 into safe mode:

Power off your phone.
Then press and hold the Power off button.
When you see the Reboot to Safe mode dialog box, tap OK. Doing so will prompt your device to restart in safe mode.
When successfully entered safe mode, you will see Safe Mode at the lower part of the screen.
Now, try to open the camera and test to see if the error appears again.

If the problem persists while running your device in safe, it’s likely a more complex software issue on the device. Quit safe mode and try the next solution as your next option.

Wipe the cache partition on your HTC U11.

Wiping the cache partition on your device can help resolve more complex errors triggered by temporary files and data dwelling in the system partition or phone storage. Unlike a master reset, this process will not affect or delete any of your stored information on your phone for as long as it’s done correctly. To make sure you’re doing it right, refer to these steps:

Turn off your phone completely.
Press and hold the Volume Down key.
Then press the Power key to turn your phone on.
Release the Power key when the phone vibrates but keep holding down the Volume Down key until you see a black screen with red and blue lines of text in it.
When you’re in this screen, press the Volume Down key repeatedly until the Reboot to bootloader option is highlighted.
Then press the Power key to confirm selection. Your phone will then display a white screen with colored text.
When you see this screen, press the Volume Down key repeatedly until the Boot to Recovery Mode option is highlighted.
Then press the Power key to confirm selection.
Press and hold the Power key for a few seconds then press and release the Volume Up key.
Release the Power key.
Next, press the Volume Down key repeatedly until the Wipe Cache Partition option is highlighted.
Then select the highlighted option by pressing the Power key.
Press the Volume Down key to highlight Yes.
Wait until your device is finished wiping the cache and data from the system partition.
Once it’s done, the Reboot system now option is highlighted. Press the Power key to reboot your phone.

After your phone boots up successfully, try to launch and use the Camera app to see if the error is gone.

Perform a master reset or restore your HTC U11 to its factory defaults.

If the Unfortunately, camera has stopped error persists after wiping the cache partition and all, then it could be a tough bug that requires tougher solution. When you’ve reached this point having the same error, performing a full system reset can be your next option and possibly, the ultimate solution. But you have to note that this reset will completely wipe all your data and personal information from your phone storage. That said, be sure to create a backup of your critical data beforehand. Once you’re all set, follow these steps to reset your phone to its factory defaults and wipe out the root-cause:

Tap the Apps icon from the Home screen.
Go to Settings.
Tap Backup & reset.
Tap Factory data reset.
Be sure to uncheck or deselect the Erase SD card option to avoid deleting media and other data stored on your SD card.
Tap Reset phone to continue.
Tap OK to confirm reset.

Wait until the reset is finished, reboot your phone and then test the camera app. If a full system reset still failed to fix the problem, then it’s more likely a hardware issue. At this point, you may consider repair as an option. Otherwise, contact your device carrier or HTC Support for other recommendations. Apparently, there is nothing more you can do on your end to fix the camera problem you are dealing with.

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What to do when you encounter ‘Unfortunately, camera has stopped’ error on your HTC U11? [Troubleshooting Guide]