Fix Samsung Galaxy Note 4 Camera that won’t focus, freezes & “Camera failed” error

We received a bunch of emails from our readers complaining about their camera that won’t focus properly on the subject. This problem is not exclusively to Samsung Galaxy Note 4 but it may also happen to other Galaxy devices. We will try to troubleshoot it using the simplest of methods and rule out other possibilities until we arrive at something that may tell us what the issue really is.

Other camera related problems I will include in this post are issues wherein the phone freezes when the camera app is tapped or opened and the error message, “Camera failed.” Read on to learn now to address these issues.

If you have other issues with your phone, however, visit our Galaxy Note 4 Troubleshooting page as we’ve already addressed a lot of problems before. Find an issue that’s related or the same as yours and try the solutions we provided. If they didn’t work for you, then feel free to contact us as we are always willing to help you. Just fill up this form accurately and hit Submit. Your message will then be queued to the current list of problems we’ll address.

Galaxy Note 4 Camera won’t focus properly

Problem 1: Since I upgraded from note 3 to note 4 I have been having camera problem. First, when I turn on the camera it appears blurry and it won’t focus on the target. No matter what it will not focus. I have to actually give it a hard tap in order for it to focus. This is my 2 note 4 of the same problem. Most of my friends with same phone, their camera work flawlessly. First time T-Mobile tells me that their diagnosis shows camera problem. The 2 phone, they’re telling same thing. Does it mean T-Mobile got faulty batch of phones that have camera problem. T-Mobile have reset, tweak the phone because I thought I was doing something wrong yet the problem still persist. They said that they will give me refurbished phone unlike before, I’m afraid the problem may be there. What do I do. Thanks, Prince.

Problem 2: I have Note 4 when I’m zooming the camera it goes blur, what causes that?

Problem 3: My phones camera has a slightly fuzzy looking screen like a ghost fuzzy. LOL I don’t know how to describe. Focusing is weird to me and where can I find macro mode? It was my favorite mode on my S3. Thanks!

Problem 4: My phone will not focus it take it a whole min to focus I reset my phone .reset the camera still don’t want to focus. Please help.

Troubleshooting: Camera problems may be caused by a glitch in the system, firmware or an issue with the hardware. The same thing is true when the pictures are blurry or if the camera cannot focus automatically. Before anything else, you must begin your troubleshooting with this very simple procedure:

1. Get a 2-inch scotch tape.
2. Place your Galaxy Note 4 on a table with the backside on top.
3. Put the scotch tape over the camera.
4. Now gently pull the scotch tape off.
5. Try using the camera and see if it can focus better now.

Many users don’t know the Galaxy Note 4 camera has a protective film that is very clear and has a hole in the center for the sensor. If the film is misaligned, that’s when the sensors “line of sight” is obstructed, which may result to blurry images and improper focus. Remove it (it is meant to be removed, by the way) and the problem will be fixed.

However, if the film has already been removed or if the problem persists after the procedure above, then it could either be an app, firmware or hardware problem. Try clearing the cache and data of the camera app and if the problem remained, perform the master reset.

Clear Cache and Data

1. From the Home screen, tap the Apps icon.
2. Tap Settings and scroll to ‘Applications’ section.
3. Touch Application Manager.
4. Swipe left or right to display contents of ‘ALL’ tab.
5. Scroll to and tap on the Camera.
6. Tap the Clear cache button.
7. Tap the Clear data button, then OK.

Master Reset

1. Turn off the Galaxy Note 4 completely.
2. Press and hold the Volume Up and the Home keys together, then press and hold the Power key.
3. When the Note 4 vibrates, release both the Home and Power keys but continue holding the Volume Up key.
4. When the Android System Recovery shows on the screen, release the Vol Up key.
5. Using the Volume Down key, highlight ‘wipe data / factory reset’ and press the Power key to select it.
6. Now highlight ‘Yes — delete all user data’ using the Vol Down key and press the Power key to begin the reset.
7. When the master reset is complete, highlight ‘Reboot system now’ and hit the Power key.
8. The Note 4 will restart but it will be longer than usual. When it reaches the Home screen, then begin your setup.

If all else fails, contact your retailer or service provider and request a replacement if possible as it is a hardware problem.

Galaxy Note 4 getting “Camera Failed” error message

Problem: Phone may have gotten damp or wet. Dried phone for over 24 hours, then powered up. Phone powered up and all apps worked, including the camera. After about two days, went to use the camera (tapped camera app) and received message “camera failed”. I tried all the tricks to fix “camera failed” i.e. starting in “safe mode”, “reset to factory settings”, and error message still happens. I noticed the camera icon does not appear in application> application manager> SD Card & running (show cached processes). Is this “camera failed” a camera hardware issue? Is there anything else I can do?

Troubleshooting: When it comes to liquid damage, there’s actually no easy way to determine the extent of the damage and that’s one reason why manufacturers treat liquid damage differently and often not included in the standard warranty. If it were just some kind of a firmware issue, the factory reset may have fixed it already. It sure is not a third-party app issue because the error still pops up even in safe mode. There’s one thing I suggest you try, though. Try to reflash the firmware or find someone who knows. Major firmware issues may not be fixed by factory reset but altering the firmware may take care of it. If you don’t have the skillset to do these complicated procedures, let a technician take a look at it for you.

Now about the issue where you can’t find the camera app in the applications manager, well, it’s a pre-installed app so it must be under Running or All. The SD Card tab is actually for app you moved to the SD card.

Galaxy Note 4 freezes when Camera is opened

Problem: My phone freezes occasionally when I use the camera from the locked screen. Once I take the picture it freezes and my phone goes black. I have to restart my phone to get it back.

Troubleshooting: First of all, check if the phone has enough storage space left for new pictures. If you set your phone to directly save pictures or videos to the microSD card, check if the card can still be detected or if the phone can still read from it successfully. It is also recommended you transfer some of your photos or videos to a different location to minimize the load of the Gallery apps. When there are a lot of pictures to manage, the Gallery app crashes and it happens immediately after the Camera took a picture.

The next procedure you need to try is to clear the cache and data of both the Camera and the Gallery apps.

1. From the Home screen, tap the Apps icon.
2. Tap Settings and scroll to ‘Applications’ section.
3. Touch Application Manager.
4. Swipe left or right to display contents of ‘ALL’ tab.
5. Scroll to and tap on the Camera.
6. Tap the Clear cache button.
7. Tap the Clear data button, then OK.

Follow the same procedure for the Gallery. Don’t worry, none of your photos will be deleted.

Now, if this problem started immediately after an update, then it must be the cache that were corrupted. The solution is to wipe the cache partition:

1. Turn off the Galaxy Note 4 completely.
2. Press and hold the Volume Up and the Home keys together, then press and hold the Power key.
3. When the Note 4 vibrates, release both the Home and Power keys but continue holding the Volume Up key.
4. When the Android System Recovery shows on the screen, release the Vol Up key.
5. Using the Volume Down key, highlight the option ‘wipe cache partition’ and press the Power key to select it.
6. When the wiping of the cache partition is finished, highlight ‘Reboot system now’ and hit the power key.

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