How to fix Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge “Warning: Camera failed” error [Troubleshooting Guide]

Let me give you an idea how the camera in your #Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge (#S7Edge) works; when you tap on that camera icon on your phone, the first thing that will come to life is the Camera app. Together with that, the sensor will initialize to get ready to snap photos or record videos and all these things happen in a second or even less and everything should work perfectly, otherwise, you’ll get the “Warning: Camera failed” error or “Camera has stopped” one.

In this post, I will address the “Camera failed” error, which is more of a hardware issue than an app problem. It’s often the result of failed initialization of the sensor and it doesn’t necessarily it’s a serious problem. Sometimes, services crash due and there are a lot of things that could happen when the system loads up so issues like this can actually happen every now and then.

Continue reading to understand what this error means and learn how to troubleshoot your device if it occurs. Should you have other issues, make sure you drop by our S7 Edge troubleshooting page as we’ve already addressed a lot of problems with this phone. Find problems that are similar to yours and use our solutions. If they don’t work or if you need further assistance, you can contact us by completing our Android issues questionnaire.

Troubleshooting “Warning: Camera failed” on Galaxy S7 Edge

More often, this problem occurs out of the blue and basically, it’s just a symptom; the real problem is inside. So, we really need to troubleshoot to determine what’s causing the problem and to know if we can fix it on our own.

Step 1: Boot your device in safe mode and try to open the camera there

You need to put your device in diagnostic state immediately and isolate the problem and while in that state, try to open the app again and see if the error still shows up.

Press and hold the Power key.
As soon as you can see the ‘Samsung Galaxy S7 EDGE’ on the screen, release the Power key and immediately hold the Volume Down key.
Continue holding the Volume Down button until the device finishes rebooting.
You may release it when you can see ‘Safe mode’ in the bottom left corner of the screen.

So, if the error shows up, you need to rule out the possibility that it’s a firmware issue. However, you need to clear the cache and data of the camera app first.

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

This is to rule out the possibility that it’s actually the app that crashes and affected the sensor and not the hardware itself so, it’s necessary before you go after the firmware.

From the Home screen, tap the Apps icon.
Find and tap on Settings.
Touch Applications and then Application manager.
Swipe to ALL tab.
Find and touch Camera.
Tap Storage.
Tap Clear cache and then Clear data, Delete.

Step 3: Wipe the cache partition

This is if the error shows up in safe mode and if the problem persists after clearing the cache and data. If you reach this step, it means the problem might either be in the firmware or the hardware. This procedure has to be done prior to the reset:

Turn off the phone.
Press and then hold the Home and Volume UP keys, then press and hold the Power key.
When the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge shows on the screen, release the Power key but continue holding the Home and Volume Up keys.
When the Android logo shows, you may release both keys and leave the phone be for about 30 to 60 seconds.
Using the Volume Down key, navigate through the options and highlight ‘wipe cache partition.’
Once highlighted, you may press the Power key to select it.
Now highlight the option ‘Yes’ using the Volume Down key and press the Power button to select it.
Wait until your phone is finished wiping the cache partition. Once completed, highlight ‘Reboot system now’ and press the Power key.
The phone will now reboot longer than usual.

Step 4: Reset your phone

This is the last thing you can do to rule out the possibility that it’s a firmware problem. It goes to the last because you will have to go through the hassle of backing up your data and files. After this and the problem still persists, it’s safe to assume the problem is with the sensor and you need a technician to check it for you:

Turn off your Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge.
Press and then hold the Home and Volume UP keys, then press and hold the Power key. NOTE: It doesn’t matter how long you press and hold the Home and Volume Up keys, it won’t affect the phone but by the time you press and hold the Power key, that’s when the phone starts to respond.
When the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge shows on the screen, release the Power key but continue holding the Home and Volume Up keys.
When the Android logo shows, you may release both keys and leave the phone be for about 30 to 60 seconds. NOTE: The “Installing system update” message may show on the screen for several seconds before displaying the Android system recovery menu. This is just the first phase of the entire process.
Using the Volume Down key, navigate through the options and highlight ‘wipe data / factory reset.’
Once highlighted, you may press the Power key to select it.
Now highlight the option ‘Yes — delete all user data’ using the Volume Down key and press the Power button to select it.
Wait until your phone is finished doing the Master Reset. Once completed, highlight ‘Reboot system now’ and press the Power key.
The phone will now reboot longer than usual.

Step 5: Bring the phone to the shop

As far as basic troubleshooting is concerned, you’ve already done enough. Now, it’s time to let the technician handle it for you.

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