How to fix Galaxy Tab A camera keeps stopping | camera has stopped or keeps crashing

The Galaxy Tab A is not considered a top tier tablet among Samsung’s crop of wide-screen gadgets but it has a decent camera for its price. The camera hardware is not, in itself, top notch but it functions just fine. In fact, the camera is just as reliable as the premium Galaxy phones out there. However, just like any camera, this tablet may encounter a problem with it due to a number of reasons. If your Galaxy Tab A camera keeps stopping or crashing, you must check a list of factors in order to fix the problem. This post will walk you through that.

How to fix Galaxy Tab A camera keeps stopping | camera has stopped or keeps crashing

If your Galaxy Tab A camera keeps stopping and you have no idea why, this troubleshooting guide might help. Learn how to fix this problem by doing our suggestions.

Galaxy Tab A camera keeps stopping fix #1: Get the error

Sometimes, camera issues come with particular error code or message. If you are unable to use the camera app and it shows an error when you try to launch it, be sure to take note of the error. Then, do a Google search about it to see if there’s any available online solution for a specific error. 

If there’s no error at all or if the solution you found is not working, continue with the troubleshooting below.

Galaxy Tab A camera keeps stopping fix #2: Troubleshoot camera app

Focusing your troubleshooting on the camera functionality is not a bad idea. There are a number of camera-specific steps that you can try. 

Force quit camera app. Restarting a misbehaving app has long been a staple solution in Android. If your Galaxy Tab A camera keeps stopping without any obvious cause, this should be one of the first things to do. 

Below are the two methods to force close an app:

Method 1: Close an app using Recent Apps key

1. On your screen, tap the Recent Apps soft key (on the left of the Home middle button).
2. Once the Recent Apps screen is shown, swipe left or right to look for the app. It should be here if you managed to run it previously.
3. Then, swipe up on the app to close it. This should force close it. If it’s not there, simply tap the Close All app to also restart all apps.

Method 2: Close an app using App Info menu

Another way to force close an app is by going within the app’s settings itself. It’s a longer way compared to the first method above but it’s equally effective. You want to use this method if you plan on doing other troubleshooting for the said app like clearing its cache or data. Here’s how it’s done:

1. Open Settings app.
2. Tap Apps.
3. Tap the More settings icon (three-dot icon, upper right).
4. Tap Show system apps.
5. Find and tap the app.
6. Tap Force Stop.

Reset settings. If you are able to load camera app normally, you may be able to fix the problem by resetting the app’s settings. Here’s how:

1. Open Camera app.
2. Tap Setting icon (gear icon at the upper left).
3. Scroll down to the bottom and tap Reset settings.
4. Tap RESET to confirm.

Clear camera app cache. Another way to fix your camera problem is by clearing the cache. Camera app in Samsung devices may sometimes encounter bugs due to corrupted cache. To ensure that the camera’s cache works, consider doing these steps:

1. Go to the Home screen.
2. Tap Apps icon.
3. Open Settings app.
4. Tap Apps.
5. If you’re looking for a system or default app, tap on More options at the upper right (three-dot icon).
6. Select Show system apps.
7. Find and tap Camera.
8. Tap Storage.
9. Tap Clear Cache button.
10. Check for the problem

Clear data. Clearing an app’s cache may sometimes require more drastic follow up. Try to clear the app’s data to return its settings to defaults if wiping the cache won’t work. Here’s how:

1. Go to the Home screen.
2. Tap Apps icon.
3. Open Settings app.
4. Tap Apps.
5. If you’re looking for a system or default app, tap on More options at the upper right (three-dot icon).
6. Select Show system apps.
7. Find and tap Camera.
8. Tap Storage.
9. Tap Clear Data button.
10. Check for the problem

Galaxy Tab A camera keeps stopping fix #3: Update app and Android

Some app bugs may only be fixed by changing some codes. If you are getting the Galaxy Tab A Camera keeps stopping, that can be caused by inefficient code. Make sure to check for an update for the app to fix it. If the problem is known to Samsung, there may already be an update for it. Updating the default camera app is easy. Here’s how:

1. Open Camera app.
2. Tap Settings icon (cog at the upper left).
3. Scroll down to the bottom and tap About Camera.
4. Tap Update. If there’s no Update button, that means the app is running the latest version.

Galaxy Tab A camera keeps stopping fix #4: Soft reset

If troubleshooting the camera app won’t help and your Galaxy Tab A camera still keeps stopping, make sure that your next move would be restart the tablet itself. This is usually effective for bugs that develop when a device has run for an extended period. Try restarting it normally first by pressing the Power button to access the boot menu. Then, select Restart option and see if that works.

Another way to restart the device is by pressing and holding the Volume Down button and the Power key at the same time for 10 seconds or until the device’s screen turns on. This simulates the effect of having disconnected the battery from the device. If this works, this may unlock the device.

If doing the regular restart won’t help, then try this:

1. Press and hold the Volume Down button first and don’t release it.
2. While holding it down, press and hold the Power key.
3. Keep both keys held down for 10 seconds or more. 

The second restart procedure tries to simulate the effects of removing the battery pack. On older devices, disconnecting the battery is often an effective way in fixing unresponsive devices. If nothing changed though, proceed to the next suggestions.

Rebooting your device regularly at least once every week can be beneficial. If you tend to forget things, we suggest that you configure your phone to reboot on its own. You can schedule it to do this task by doing these steps:

1. Open Settings app.
2. Tap Device Care.
3. Tap the 3-dot at the top.
4. Select Auto restart.

Galaxy Tab A camera keeps stopping fix #5: Wipe cache partition

If the camera started to misbehave after an update or app or APK was installed, the system cache may be corrupted or outdated. Such a situation can result to all sorts of problems so be sure to clear the cache partition to refresh the system cache. To ensure that the system cache is in good shape, try clearing the cache partition. Here’s how:

1. Turn off the device. This is important. If you can’t turn it off, you’ll never be able to boot to Recovery Mode. If you are not able to shut the device off regularly via the Power button, wait until the phone’s battery is drained. Then, charge the phone for 30 minutes before booting to Recovery Mode.
2. Press and hold the Volume Up button and the Power button at the same time for 5 seconds.
3. Release the Power and Volume Up buttons.
4. The Recovery screen menu will now appear. 
5. Use the Volume Down button until you are highlighting ‘Wipe cache partition.’
6. Press the Power button to select ‘Wipe cache partition.’
7. Use Volume Down to highlight Yes.
8. Press the Power button to go ahead with clearing of cache partition.
9. After clearing the cache partition, press the Power button again for Reboot system now.
10. That’s it!

Galaxy Tab A camera keeps stopping fix #6: Reset app preferences

Some apps may require default system apps and services. If some of these default apps are not working, apps that require them may misbehave. To ensure that default apps are enabled, follow these steps:

1. Open Settings app.
2. Tap Apps.
3. Tap on More settings at the upper right (three-dot icon).
4. Select Reset app preferences.
5. Restart your Tab A and check for the problem.

Galaxy Tab A camera keeps stopping fix #7:Observe on Safe Mode

One of the reasons why an Android device or app misbehaves is a bad third party app.  To check if you installed a poorly coded app, restart your device to safe mode. While running on safe mode, all third party apps will be suspended. If camera app works normally on safe mode, you can bet a third party app is behind it. To boot the device to safe mode:

1. Turn off the device.
2. Press and hold the Power key.
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. This may take up to 1 minute. Just be patient to wait for it.
6. Release the Volume down key when you see Safe Mode on the device.

Remember that third-party applications are disabled in this mode so what you can use are pre-installed apps. Uninstall the app you recently installed and see if that will fix it. If the problem remains, use the process of elimination to identify the rogue app. Here’s how:

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 Galaxy Tab A still keeps stopping on normal mode (but works on safe mode), repeat steps 1-4.

In order to return to normal mode or turn off safe mode:

1. Press and hold the Power key.
2. Tap Restart.
3. The devices restarts in normal mode.

Galaxy Tab A camera keeps stopping fix #8: Erase device

At times, camera errors may occur due to a software bug and ordinary troubleshooting may not help. In order to know if the issue is fixable on your level, the final step that you can perform is factory reset. As the name suggests, this will return the software to defaults and erase everything that is not part of the original software package. Factory reset is usually effective in fixing issues with software-related causes.

There are a couple of ways to factory reset your Galaxy Tab A. Learn each of them below. To avoid losing irreplaceable photos, videos, documents, contacts, and other stuff, be sure to back them up first. You can use Smart Switch for that.

Below are the two methods on how to hard reset or factory reset your Galaxy Tab A.

Method 1: How to hard reset on Samsung Galaxy Tab A via Settings Menu

Under normal circumstances, factory reset under Settings menu should be the primary way for you. It’s simpler to do and does not require pressing hardware buttons, which some users may find difficult to do.

1. Create a backup of your personal data and remove your Google account.
2. Open Settings app.
3. Scroll to and tap General management.
4. Tap Reset.
5. Select Factory data reset from the given options.
6. Read the information then tap Reset to continue.
7. Tap Delete All to confirm action.

Method 2: How to hard reset on Samsung Galaxy Tab A using hardware buttons

If your case is that the tablet is not booting up, or it boots but Settings menu is inaccessible, this method can be helpful. First, you need to boot the device to Recovery Mode. Once you successfully access Recovery, that’s the time that you begin proper master reset procedure. It may take some tries for you before you can access Recovery so be patient and simply try again.

1. If possible, create a backup of your personal data ahead of time. If your problem prevents you from doing that, then simply skip this step.
2. Also, you want to make sure that you remove your Google account. If your problem prevents you from doing that, then simply skip this step.
3. Turn off the device. This is important. If you can’t turn it off, you’ll never be able to boot to Recovery Mode. If you are not able to shut the device off regularly via the Power button, wait until the phone’s battery is drained. Then, charge the phone for 30 minutes before booting to Recovery Mode.
4. Press and hold the Volume Up button and the Power button at the same time for 5 seconds.
5. Release the Power and Volume Up buttons.
6. The Recovery screen menu will now appear. 
7. Use the Volume Down button until you are highlighting ‘Wipe data/factory reset.’
8. Press the Power button to select ‘Wipe data/factory reset.’
9. Use Volume Down to highlight Yes.
10. Press the Power button to confirm factory reset.

Galaxy Tab A camera keeps stopping fix #9: Get help from Samsung

You’ll most likely fix the issue with factory reset but if your particular problem won’t go away at all, you can assume that there may be a serious cause for it. That can be bad hardware or poor coding. In any case, if nothing works at this point at all, consider getting help from Samsung.

 

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