How to fix Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge that started showing “Camera failed” error after Nougat [Troubleshooting Guide]

What warning message “Camera failed” that’s haunting some of the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge owners who recently updated their phones to Nougat basically means that the camera didn’t initialize or open. While it’s clear enough that the problem has something to do with the camera, it’s not obvious if it’s a problem with the app or the sensor itself.

In this post, we will try to tackle this error message as well as its possible causes. We will try to rule out one possibility after another until we can arrive at the point wherein we can easily tell why the error occurs and what needs to be done to get rid of it so you can continue using your phone’s camera. So, if you have a phone like this and are currently bugged by a similar problem, then continue reading below as this post may be able to help you.

But before anything else, if you have another issue with your phone, drop by our S7 Edge troubleshooting page as we have already addressed hundreds of issues reported by the owners. Odds are that there are already existing solutions on our website or at least, there are similar problems we already fixed. So, try to find ones that are similar or related to your problem. If you need further assistance, however, feel free to contact us by filling up our Android issues questionnaire.

How to troubleshoot Galaxy S7 Edge with “Camera failed” error

Problem: Hi. I can no longer use the camera of my phone because every time I open it, the error “Camera failed” pops up. Just a few days ago I took a lot of pictures and the camera wasn’t acting up. But yesterday, I think, there was an update that was installed into my phone and after that this error started showing up. I don’t know what actually happened to it why this error is triggered. But my phone is a Galaxy S7 Edge and I bought it brand new. I’m worried about it so if you can help me with it, that would be great.

Troubleshooting: We need to know if this problem is caused by an app or if it’s an issue with the firmware. With that said, here’s what I suggest you do about it:

Step 1: Try opening the camera in safe mode

To determine if the error is triggered by a third-party app, you have to reboot your phone in safe mode and open the camera while the phone is in that state. If the error is due to a third-party app, then you should be able to use the camera without being greeted by the error.

Here’s how you reboot your Galaxy S7 Edge in safe mode:

Turn the device off.
Press and hold the Power key past the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge screen.
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.
Uninstall apps that are causing a problem.

Assuming the error doesn’t show up in this mode, you just have to find out what app is causing the problem, try to update, reset or even uninstall it to see what works.

How to update apps on your Galaxy S7 Edge

From any Home screen, tap the Apps icon.
Tap Play Store.
Tap the Menu key and then tap My Apps. To keep your apps automatically updated, tap the Menu key, tap Settings, and then tap Auto-update apps to select the check box.
Choose one of the following options:
- Tap Update [xx] to update all applications with updates available.
- Tap an individual application and then tap Update to update a single application.

How to clear apps caches and data on Galaxy S7 Edge

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

How to uninstall apps from your Galaxy S7 Edge

From any Home screen, tap the Apps icon.
Tap Settings.
Tap Applications.
Tap the desired application in the default list or tap Menu icon > Show system apps to display preinstalled apps.
Tap Uninstall.
Tap Uninstall again to confirm.

On the other hand, if the error still shows up even in safe mode and if the phone was recently updated to Nougat, then you should do the next step.

Step 2: Reboot your phone in Recovery mode and wipe cache partition

It’s possible the recent update corrupted some of the system files and that might be the reason why the camera of your phone no longer works properly. So, in this case, you have to try to reboot your phone in recovery move and wipe the cache partition so that system caches will be replaced…

Turn off the device.
Press and hold the Volume Up key, Home key, and Power key at the same time.
When the phone powers on, the Android System Recovery screen appears approx. 30 seconds later.
Release all of the keys.
Press the Volume down 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.

If the problem still occurs after this procedure, then you should try resetting your phone.

Step 3: Backup your files and data and reset your phone

At this point, the possibility that the phone is currently experiencing a hardware problem is more likely but there’s one thing you should do to rule out the possibility that it’s a firmware problem that’s triggering the error. It is also necessary before you send or bring the phone to the shop to have it checked by a technician. However, before the reset, make sure you make a backup of your important files and data as they will be deleted. You also need to disable the Factory Reset Protection so you won’t be locked out of your device after the reset.

How to disable Factory Reset Protection on Galaxy S7 Edge

From any Home screen, tap the Apps icon.
Tap Settings.
Tap Cloud and accounts.
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 Menu.
Tap Remove account.
Tap REMOVE ACCOUNT.

How to Master Reset your Galaxy S7 Edge

Turn off the device.
Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Home key, then press and hold 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 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.

As far as troubleshooting is concerned, this is as far as you go so if the problem still persists after this, then you should already seek assistance from a tech who can do further tests to know what the problem really is all about.

Error “Camera failed” shows up when Gallery is opened in Galaxy S7 Edge

Problem: Hi droid guys. I have a problem with my S7 Edge. whenever I open the camera or even view the pictures in the gallery, the error “Camera failed” shows up. This has happened before but it disappeared on its own and now it’s back and it seems it’s not going anywhere this time. Can you help?

Troubleshooting: Unlike the first problem, this one has two triggers; the camera and the gallery apps. Such information is enough for us to be able to conclude that this is most likely just an issue with one of those apps and basing on this statement, here’s what I suggest you do about it…

Step 1: Clear the cache and data of the Camera app

The camera is one of the triggers of the problem and the error itself mentions the camera to be the one that keeps failing. It’s just logical to go after the app before going after the gallery. With that, you should try to clear the cache and data of the camera app first:

From any Home screen, tap the Apps icon.
Tap Settings.
Tap Applications.
Tap the camera app in the default list or tap Menu icon > Show system apps to display pre-installed apps.
Tap Storage.
Tap Clear data and then tap OK.
Tap Clear cache.

If the error still shows up after this, then do the next step.

Step 2: Clear the cache and data of the Gallery app

It basically just resets the gallery but don’t worry because none of your pictures and videos will be deleted. Clearing the cache and data of the gallery apps just resets it and brings it back to its default settings and configuration.

From any Home screen, tap the Apps icon.
Tap Settings.
Tap Applications.
Tap the gallery app in the default list or tap Menu icon > Show system apps to display pre-installed apps.
Tap Storage.
Tap Clear data and then tap OK.
Tap Clear cache.

If the problem still persists after this, however, then you have no other choice but to do the next step.

Step 3: Reset your Galaxy S7 Edge

We are now at the point wherein we need to rule out the possibility that this is just a firmware issue. A reset will address majority of the firmware issues that’s why it’s important you do this procedure before you decide to bring the phone back to the store or to the shop and have it checked.

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 any Home screen, tap the Apps icon.
Tap Settings.
Tap Cloud and accounts.
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 the back key twice to return to the Settings menu, then tap General Management.
Tap Reset.
Tap Factory data reset.
Tap Reset device.
If you have screen lock turned on, enter your PIN or password.
Tap Continue.
Tap Delete all.

And just like the first issue, if the error still shows up after this, then seek technical assistance from someone who can physically check the phone for faults.

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