What to do if Galaxy S10 camera is blurry (won’t focus)

If your Galaxy S10 camera is blurry and not focusing as it should, it does not necessarily mean that it’s a major problem. In most cases, the problem may go away on its own, or perhaps you’re simply not holding the device steady enough to allow it to focus on a subject. In this short guide, we’ll show you the troubleshooting steps that you can do to address this problem.

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How to fix Galaxy S10 camera is blurry issue (won’t focus)

One of the best selling features of a Galaxy S10 is its camera. It is therefore understandable if you become disappointed when the camera does not work as expected. If your Galaxy S10 camera is blurry or having difficulty on focusing, learn how to deal with it below.

Learn how to focus the camera

Your Galaxy S10 is an amazing mini computer and it generally manages the camera very well in most cases. But just like any computer, it can’t always anticipate everything such as movement when taking a picture. Although your phone’s autofocus is amazing, it may lose focus from time to time if it detects movement inside and outside the viewfinder (screen). The Galaxy S10 camera sees more widely than the view that it displays in the screen. While this works fine in most cases, it can also distract the system when there’s movement on the edges or on the sides. If you notice that the phone loses focus and camera is still blurry when trying to make a picture or video, simply tap the part of the screen where you want the phone to focus on. This should tell the phone to refocus in that area. If that won’t fix it, proceed to the next steps below.

Update all apps

There are two places where you can get updates for your devices. One is from the Play Store and the other is from Galaxy App Store. If you only get apps from the Play Store, then make sure that you regularly check for updates from there. By default, the Galaxy App Store is set to automatically download app updates but if you changed this behavior, be sure to regularly for updates.

The same is generally true for Galaxy App Store. You’ll normally receive a system notification if a Samsung app has an update available. If your camera app is not behaving as it should, try to go under its settings and check if there’s any available update for it.

Update OS

Some camera app bugs are only fixable by changing some codes. If your camera is blurry and won’t focus, it’s possible that there may be a software bug behind it. New devices may encounter bugs due to minor software errors. Be sure to install system updates as they come to lessen the chances of problems.

Clear cache partition

Poor app performance may sometimes be attributed to a corrupted system cache. Android uses this cache to load apps quickly but at times, installing an update or app may render it outdated. To keep the system cache in good shape, make sure to clear the cache partition. This is a safe procedure to do and will not result to loss of personal data. Here’s how to do it:

  1. Turn off the device.
  2. Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Bixby key, then press and hold the Power key.
  3. When the green Android logo displays, release all keys (‘Installing system update’ will show for about 30 – 60 seconds before showing the Android system recovery menu options).
  4. Press the Volume down key several times to highlight ‘wipe cache partition’.
  5. Press Power button to select.
  6. Press the Volume down key until ‘yes’ is highlighted and press the Power button.
  7. When the wipe cache partition is complete, “Reboot system now” is highlighted.
  8. Press the Power key to restart the device.

Clear camera app and data

Most camera app problems on Samsung Galaxy devices in the past were usually fixable by doing two things: clearing the camera app cache and data.

Firstly, you want to see what happens if you clear the app cache. Like the Operating System, apps use a cache to perform tasks faster. Sometimes, an app cache may cause performance problems. To check if you have an app cache problem, here’s how to clear an app cache:

  1. Open Settings app.
  2. Tap Apps.
  3. Find and tap the camera app.
  4. Tap Storage.
  5. Tap Clear Cache button.
  6. Restart the device and check for the problem.

Should nothing work after clearing the app cache, the next good thing to do is to clear its data.

  1. Open Settings app.
  2. Tap Apps.
  3. Find and tap the camera app.
  4. Tap Storage.
  5. Tap Clear Data button.
  6. Restart the device and check for the problem.

Check for bad apps

Another possible reason why the camera is blurry can be due to a bad third party app. To check why the  camera is blurry, try running the device on safe mode. Doing so will tell stop all third party apps from running. So, if the device works significantly faster on safe mode, you can bet there’s a problem with one of your apps. To isolate which of your apps may be causing it, follow these steps to load the phone to safe mode:

  1. Turn the device off.
  2. Press and hold the Power key past the model name screen.
  3. When “SAMSUNG” appears on the screen, release the Power key.
  4. Immediately after releasing the Power key, press and hold the Volume down key.
  5. Continue to hold the Volume down key until the device finishes restarting.
  6. Safe mode will display in the bottom left corner of the screen.
  7. Release the Volume down key when you see Safe Mode.

Once on safe mode, try to charge the phone for at least 30 minutes and see what happens.

If you’ve confirmed that there’s a bad app in the system, the next thing to do is delete the most recent app you installed. If you can’t remember which app was installed recently, or if uninstalling it won’t work, use the process of elimination to identify it. This is how it’s done:

  1. Boot to safe mode.
  2. Check for the problem.
  3. Once you’ve confirmed that a third party app is to blame, you can start uninstalling apps individually. We suggest that you begin with the most recent ones you added.
  4. After you uninstall an app, restart the phone to normal mode and check for the problem.
  5. If your S10 is still problematic, repeat steps 1-4.

Factory reset

If clearing the caches of your phone are ineffective and camera is blurry issue remains, the last thing that you can do is to wipe the device and revert its software to defaults. Factory reset will erase all personal data so be sure to back them up ahead of time. Below are the steps to factory reset your S10:

  1. Back up data on the internal memory. If you have signed into a Google account on the device, you have activated Anti-theft and will need your Google credentials to finish the Master reset.
  2. Turn off the device.
  3. Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Bixby key, then press and hold the Power key.
  4. When the Android logo displays, release all keys (‘Installing system update’ will show for about 30 – 60 seconds before showing the Android system recovery menu options).
  5. Press the Volume down key several times to highlight “wipe data / factory reset.
  6. Press Power button to select.
  7. Press the Volume down key until ‘Yes — delete all user data’ is highlighted.
  8. Press Power button to select and start the master reset.
  9. When the master reset is complete, “Reboot system now” is highlighted.
  10. Press the Power key to restart the device

Get Samsung help 

If none of the above suggestions work, and camera is still blurry at this time, you must contact Samsung for help. We’re not aware of any significant number of Galaxy S10 devices having camera problems at this time but it’s possible that some units may have factory defects. Not all Galaxy S10 are manufactured in the same plant and sometimes, a batch may have unique problems due to issues peculiar to a specific factory. Samsung will usually conduct an investigation and may take some time to figure the reason for the problem. Depending on the store, they may offer to have your unit replaced. Talk to your local Samsung Service Center for your options.

 


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