How to fix Samsung Galaxy J5 that keeps showing “Camera failed” warning [Troubleshooting Guide]

The error message “Warning: Camera failed” with your Samsung Galaxy J5 is referring to the camera that may have failed to initialize when you opened the app. The other variation of this problem is the “Unfortunately, Camera has stopped” error. The latter often refers to the Camera app that crashed for some reason while the former might have something to do with the hardware–the camera sensor itself.

You see, when you open the camera app, all other services needed to make everything work well will initialize together with the sensor. When you tap the capture button on the screen, everything should work perfectly and in sync to have the best result. All of this happens within a second but when something won’t work the way it should, that’s when an error message may occur and it should be either of the two I mentioned above.

In this article, I will walk you through in troubleshooting your Samsung Galaxy J5 with the “Camera failed” error. We have to consider every possible factor that may have contributed to the development of this problem. We also have to rule out each possibility until we can positively point out what the issue really is so that we can formulate a solution that might fix the problem for good.

Before anything else though, if you have other issues with your device, then visit our Galaxy J5 troubleshooting page for we have already addressed several common problems with this phone. Odds are that there are already existing solutions to your problems so just take time finding issues that are similar with yours. If you can’t find one or if you need further assistance, feel free to contact us by completing our Android issues questionnaire. Please provide us with as much information as possible so that it would also be easier for us to troubleshoot the problem. Don’t worry as we offer this service for free, so all you have to do is give us sufficient information about the problem.

Problem 1: Galaxy J5 popping up “Camera failed” error when camera is opened

“My phone is a Galaxy J5. I used to take pictures everyday using this phone but I can no longer do that because every time I try to open the camera, the warning message “Camera failed” always greets me. All I can do is hit OK and the message goes away only to pop up again when I try to open the camera. I don’t know how it happened but it just happened. I need your help to fix my phone. Thank you and more power to your blog!”

Troubleshooting: Regardless of the model and specifications of your phone, the camera has the most complicated process. Imagine, the app, the firmware and the sensor would have to work in perfect timing to give you the best results when you try to capture pictures or record videos. The error message “Camera failed” is often a hardware-related error but there have been cases wherein it’s triggered by some apps and firmware issues. So, we have to really troubleshoot your phone to be able to know what the real problem is and whether or not it can be fixed. Here’s what you need to do:

Step 1: Reboot your Galaxy J5 in Safe mode and open camera

We have to rule out the possibility that an app is causing the problem first. So, we need to reboot your phone in Safe mode to temporarily disable all third-party apps. These applications are those you downloaded from the Play Store or manually installed. Pre-installed apps work in perfect harmony most of the time so there’s a big chance it’s a third-party app that’s causing the problem…if and only if the problem is indeed caused by an app. So, here’s how you start your phone in safe mode (diagnostic state):

Turn the device off.
Press and hold the Power key past the screen with the device name.
When ‘SAMSUNG’ appears on the screen, release the Power key.
Immediately after releasing the Power key, press and hold the Volume down key.
Continue to hold the Volume down key until the device finishes restarting.
Safe mode will display in the bottom left corner of the screen.
Release the Volume down key when you see ‘Safe Mode’.

While in this state, try to open the camera to know if the warning message would still show up. If so, then skip your troubleshooting to step 3, otherwise, move on to the next step.

Step 2: Find, reset and uninstall apps that have something to do with the problem

Assuming you can take pictures normally while your phone is in diagnostic state, you should take time finding the app that might have something to do with the issue. If you’ve already an app in mind, reset it first and then uninstall it if the problem persists.

Here’s how you reset an app on your Galaxy J5…

From any Home screen, tap the Apps icon.
Tap Settings.
Tap Applications.
Tap Application manager.
Tap the desired application in the default list or tap MORE > Show system apps to display built-in apps.
Tap Storage.
Tap Clear cache.
Tap Clear data and then tap OK.

You may have to boot your phone up in normal mode and try opening camera to know if the problem still remains because if so, then proceed with the uninstallation of the suspected app…

From any Home screen, tap the Apps icon.
Tap Settings.
Tap Applications.
Tap Application manager.
Tap the desired application
Tap Uninstall.
Tap Uninstall again to confirm.

You may have to uninstall more than one app but always try to go after the apps that have something to do with the Camera and the Gallery.

Step 3: Reset the Camera app itself

Apparently, it’s the camera app that has a problem so after the first two steps and the error remains, then you have to go after the app that has an issue. The best thing to do is reset it so it will be brought back to its default settings…

From any Home screen, tap the Apps icon.
Tap Settings.
Tap Applications.
Tap Application manager.
Tap Camera in the default list or tap MORE > Show system apps to display built-in apps.
Tap Storage.
Tap Clear cache.
Tap Clear data and then tap OK.

Step 4: Reboot in Recovery Mode and wipe cache partition

When the cache that have something to do with the camera is corrupt and the system uses it, issues like this may happen. So after doing the first few procedures above and the error didn’t go away, it’s time to delete all system caches so they will be replaced. You can do so by booting up your phone in Recovery Mode and wiping the cache partition:

Turn off the device.
Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Home key, then press and hold the Power key.
When the device logo screen displays, release only the Power key
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).
Press the Volume down key several times key to highlight ‘wipe cache partition.’
Press the Power key to select.
Press the Volume down key to highlight ‘yes’ and press the Power key to select.
When the wipe cache partition is complete, ‘Reboot system now’ is highlighted.
Press the Power key to restart the device.

Once the phone becomes active, open the Camera. If the error still shows up, then you have no other choice but to reset your phone.

Step 5: Backup files and data then reset your phone

This is the last procedure you need to do. After this, you can already tell if the problem has something to do with the firmware or the hardware. So, before anything else, make sure you backup your important files and data as they will be deleted during the reset and can no longer be restored.

After you’ve made a backup of your important files and data, disable the Factory Reset Protection so you won’t be locked out of your phone after the reset. Here’s how…

From the Home screen, tap the Apps icon.
Tap Settings.
Tap Accounts.
Tap Google.
Tap your Google ID email address. If you have multiple accounts setup, you will need to repeat these steps for each account.
Tap More.
Tap Remove account.
Tap REMOVE ACCOUNT.

After disabling FRP, follow these steps to reset your phone:

Turn off the device.
Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Home key, then press and hold the Power key.
When the device logo screen displays, release only the Power key
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).
Press the Volume down key several times key to highlight ‘wipe data / factory reset.’
Press Power button to select.
Press the Volume down key until ‘Yes — delete all user data’ is highlighted.
Press Power button to select and start the master reset.
When the master reset is complete, ‘Reboot system now’ is highlighted.
Press the Power key to restart the device.

Step 6: Bring the phone to the shop and let the tech handle the problem

After the reset and the error message still shows up, then the problem has something to do with a failing hardware or it could be a serious firmware issue that needs operating system to be reinstalled. You need a technician to do it for you so the warranty won’t be voided.

Problem 2: “Camera failed” error shows up when taking pictures

“Hello guys. There is this error message that keeps showing up whenever I take pictures using the camera of my phone. The error says ‘Camera failed’ and it only shows when I hit the capture button. I can still open the camera and view pictures but whenever I hit the capture button, that’s when this error shows up. Has it something to do with the firmware or is it the hardware that has some issues? Please let me know. Thanks.”

Troubleshooting: That’s a good question, actually, and my answer will be a little bit of both; it might have something to do with the firmware and the hardware. As you said, the error only shows up when the capture button is tapped, my theories are that some of the services that camera is using aren’t functioning well or the sensor itself fails by the time you capture a picture. So, based on these theories, here’s what I suggest you do:

Step 1: Clear cache and data of the Camera

Well, it’s the problem with the camera so we have to begin our troubleshooting with the app. We just have to reset it to see if it has something to do with its cache, data and settings. By clearing its cache and data, you’re bringing the app back to its default settings:

From any Home screen, tap the Apps icon.
Tap Settings.
Tap Applications.
Tap Application manager.
Tap Camera in the default list or tap MORE > Show system apps to display built-in apps.
Tap Storage.
Tap Clear cache.
Tap Clear data and then tap OK.

If the error still shows up after doing this, then move on to the next step.

Step 2: Take pictures while the phone is in safe mode

This is to find out if one or some of the third-party apps is causing the problem. Booting in safe mode will temporarily disable all third-party elements and services so you can tell immediately if they have something to do with the problem…

Turn the device off.
Press and hold the Power key past the screen with the device name.
When ‘SAMSUNG’ appears on the screen, release the Power key.
Immediately after releasing the Power key, press and hold the Volume down key.
Continue to hold the Volume down key until the device finishes restarting.
Safe mode will display in the bottom left corner of the screen.
Release the Volume down key when you see ‘Safe Mode’.

Take some pictures while in this mode and if you can take some without being greeted by the error, then do follow the second step in the first problem; you have to find the apps that are causing the problem and uninstall them.

However, if the error still shows up while in this mode, then you must proceed with the reset.

Step 3: Reset your Galaxy J5

Backup your files, pictures, music, videos and anything you don’t want to lose and after which, reset your phone so it will be brought back to its default settings.

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.
From the Home screen, tap the Apps icon.
Tap Settings.
Tap Backup and reset.
If desired, tap Back up my data to move the slider to ON or OFF.
If desired, tap Restore to move the slider to ON or OFF.
Tap Factory data reset.
Tap Reset device.
If you have screen lock turned on, enter your PIN or password.
Tap Continue.
Tap Delete all.

I hope this helps.

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