How to fix your Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus that shows “Warning: Camera failed” error [Troubleshooting Guide]

It seems like some of our readers who own the Samsung Galaxy S8+ are bugged by the error “Warning: Camera failed,” which shows up whenever the camera is opened. The other variation of this problem is the error message “Unfortunately, Camera has stopped,” which may occur simultaneously with the first error or may show up on its own depending on the situation.

The “Camera failed” error is more of a hardware issue that affects the sensor itself while the latter might be limited to just the Camera app. We’ve encountered this problem before and it doesn’t just happen to the new Galaxy S8 Plus but also to other Galaxy devices or Android phones for that matter.

In this post, I will walk you through in troubleshooting your phone that’s plagued with this error. We need to rule out one possibility after another to be able to pinpoint if the problem is with the app, the firmware or the hardware. I understand your phone is still new that’s the reason why we need to troubleshoot immediately so we would know if the phone has to be replaced or not.

Before we go to troubleshooting, if you are currently experiencing a different problem, try to visit our troubleshooting page for we have already addressed some of the most common issues owners encountered with their device. Find issues that are similar to yours and feel free to use our solutions or troubleshooting guides. If they don’t work, however, and if you need further assistance, contact us by completing our Android issues questionnaire. All we need is information so we can help you. Don’t worry, it’s free.

How to troubleshoot Samsung Galaxy S8+ with “Warning: Camera failed” error

The purpose of this troubleshooting is for us to know if the problem can be fixed without any help from a technician and if the phone works fine after we’ve gotten rid of the error. As the owner, you have to exert an effort to know if the phone needs to be replaced with a new one or not. That said, here’s what I need you to do to troubleshoot your device:

Step 1: Reset the Camera to know if it’s just an app problem

We need to go after the app that crashes, so in this case, it’s the Camera. While I said that this error is more of a hardware problem, we still need to rule out the possibility that it occurs due to some issues with the app or firmware.

The “Warning: Camera failed” error actually occurs when the sensor fails to initialize together with the app and its services. It might be purely a hardware problem or caused by the software. So, to reset the camera, you just have to clear its cache and data:

From the Home screen, swipe up on an empty spot to open the Apps tray.
Tap Settings > Apps.
Tap Camera in the default list or tap 3 dots icon > Show system apps to display pre-installed apps.
Tap Storage.
Tap Clear cache.
Tap Clear data and then tap OK.

After clearing the cache and data, open the app to see if the error still shows up and if so, then you have to move on to the next step.

Step 2: Reboot your phone in Safe mode and open the camera

We need to know if one or some of the third-party apps caused this problem. Thus, you need to reboot your phone in safe mode to temporarily disable all third-party elements in it. If the problem doesn’t occur in that mode, it’s confirmed the problem is caused by a third-party and it would be easier to fix the problem in this case. This is how you boot your phone in safe mode:

Turn the device off.
Press and hold the Power key past the model name 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.

Assuming the problem is caused by a third-party, then you need to find the culprit and uninstall it and this is how you uninstall an app from your S8+:

From the Home screen, swipe up on an empty spot to open the Apps tray.
Tap Settings > Apps.
Tap the desired application in the default list or tap 3 dots icon > Show system apps to display preinstalled apps.
Tap the desired application.
Tap Uninstall.
Tap Uninstall again to confirm.

If the problem, however, still shows in safe mode, then try the next step.

Step 3: Delete the system caches as some of them may have been corrupted

While system caches are temporary files created by the firmware, they may cause performance issues when corrupted. Therefore, you need to delete them so that they would be replaced with new ones. You have no access to individual caches that’s why you need to delete them all at once. Here’s how…

Turn off the device.
Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Bixby key, then press and hold the Power key.
When the green 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 cache partition”
Press Power button 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 persists after this, then move on to the next step.

Step 4: Backup your files and data, then reset your phone

At this point in our troubleshooting, we need to make sure your files and data are all safe. So, create a backup to your SD card or computer. After which, disable the Factory Reset Protection so you won’t be locked out of your device after the reset.

We have reached the point wherein we need to test if the phone can still work perfectly if brought back to its factory default settings that’s why we need to reset. Follow the steps below to disable anti-theft and reset your device:

How to disable FRP on Samsung Galaxy S8+

From the Home screen, swipe up on an empty spot to open the Apps tray.
Tap Settings.
Tap Cloud and accounts.
Tap Accounts.
Tap Google.
Tap on your Google ID email address if multiple accounts are setup. If you have multiple accounts setup, you will need to repeat these steps for each account.
Tap 3 dot icon.
Tap Remove account.
Tap REMOVE ACCOUNT.

How to Master Reset Galaxy S8+

Turn off the device.
Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Bixby key, then press and hold the Power key.
When the green 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.

Alternatively, you can also reset your phone via Settings menu…

From the Home screen, swipe up on an empty spot to open the Apps tray.
Tap Settings > Cloud and accounts.
Tap Backup and restore.
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 button to the Settings menu and tap General Management > Reset > Factory data reset.
Tap Reset device.
If you have screen lock turned on, enter your credentials.
Tap Continue.
Tap Delete all.

After all these and the problem still persists, it’s time you brought the phone back to the store and have it replaced as it is clear enough the problem is with the hardware.

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