Samsung Galaxy J3 keeps showing “Unfortunately, Camera has stopped” error, other camera issues [Troubleshooting Guide]
The camera follows a complicated process when taking pictures that’s why it’s prone to having errors compared to other apps. Since we have received quite a lot of complaints from our readers, we feel obligated to address some of those issues. So, in this post, I will tackle three camera related error messages that occur in Samsung Galaxy J3.
The first error is “Unfortunately, Camera has stopped” which, according to our readers, shows up as soon as the camera is opened. The next error is “Unfortunately, gallery has stopped” that pops up after the camera took a picture but it’s not saved. Lastly, we will be tackling the error “Warning: Camera failed” which, like the first error, shows up when camera is opened. Read on to understand more about these errors and learn how fix them.
Before we jump right into our tutorials, if you have other issues, drop by our Galaxy J3 troubleshooting page for we have already addressed many issues with this phone since we started supporting it. Try to find problems that are similar with yours and use the troubleshooting procedures or solutions we suggested. Should you need further assistance from us, fill up our Android issues questionnaire and hit submit. Don’t worry, it’s free.
Galaxy J3 shows up “Unfortunately, Camera has stopped” error
Problem: Hi guys. I hope you can help me. My phone keeps showing the error “Unfortunately, Camera has stopped” every time I open the app. I’m not quite sure why this is happening but my phone is Galaxy J3 and I never actually did something that may have triggered it. If you can look into this problem and help me how to fix it, that would be great. Thanks.
Troubleshooting: Basically the app crashes when you open it and at this point, we don’t know for sure if it’s just an issue with the camera app or its hardware. We have to troubleshoot to, at least, have an idea why this is happening and be able to formulate a solution that might work. Here’s what I suggest you do…
Step 1: Reboot in Safe mode and open the camera
Let’s try to isolate the problem immediately to know if third-party apps have something to do with it. You just have to boot your phone up in safe mode and open the camera from there. If it opens, then it’s confirmed the problem is caused by one or some of the apps you downloaded and installed. You just have to find the culprit and uninstall it but here’s how you boot your phone in safe mode:
- Power off your Galaxy J3. Press and hold the Power key, tap Power off and then touch POWER OFF to confirm.
- 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’.
On the other hand, if the error still shows up in safe mode when you open the camera, then do the next step.
Step 2: Clear the cache and data of the Camera app
Basically, this resets the app to its default settings as well as delete possibly corrupt caches and files. Don’t worry though, none of your pictures or videos will be deleted as they’re saved somewhere and resetting the camera won’t affect them. Now, here’s how you reset the camera:
- From any Home screen, tap the Apps icon.
- Tap Settings.
- Tap Applications.
- Tap Application manager
- Tap the Camera.
- Tap Storage.
- Tap Clear data and then tap OK.
- Tap Clear cache.
If this doesn’t fix the problem, then the next step might.
Step 3: Reset your phone to bring it back to factory default settings
It’s possible that the cause of the problem is some corrupt system files and data or incorrect settings. So, after doing the first two steps and the problem remained, you have no other choice but to reset your phone. However, make sure you backup your files and data as they will be deleted. Since you will be doing the master reset, you need to turn off the anti-theft feature or Factory Reset Protection (FRP) so you won’t be locked out of your phone after the reset. Here’s how you disable it:
- 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 this, follow these steps to reset your phone…
- Power off your Galaxy J3. Press and hold the Power key, tap Power off and then touch POWER OFF to confirm.
- Press and hold the Volume Up button and then press and hold the Home key. While holding both, press and hold the Power key.
- When the Android logo appears on the screen, release all three keys. It may take a minute before the Android recovery screen appears.
- While on Android recovery screen, use the Volume Down key to highlight options, in this case, highlight the option ‘wipe data/factory reset.’
- Press the Power key to choose the highlighted option.
- Press the Volume Down key until ‘Yes — delete all user data’ option is highlighted.
- Press the Power key to confirm the reset.
- Once the reset is complete, press the Power key to choose ‘Reboot system now.’
- The phone will restart a little longer than usual and the reset is finished.
The error message “Unfortunately, Camera has stopped” on your Galaxy J3 is actually just a minor problem and it’s almost certain the reset will take care of it. However, if the problem continues after the reset, then have the tech check it for you.
Galaxy J3 pops up “Unfortunately, Gallery has stopped” after taking pictures
Problem: My J3 seems to have trouble taking pictures because when I do, the camera actually works but after I took the picture, the error “Unfortunately, Gallery has stopped” shows up and the picture isn’t saved somewhere. Can you help me find a solution to this problem please. Thank you!
Troubleshooting: Camera and Gallery work together to give you smooth experience when taking pictures or recording videos. The former snaps pictures and the latter manages them; it crops pictures for thumbnails and arranges them depending on how you want the pictures sorted. However, it seems like the camera is functioning just fine but the Gallery isn’t. So, for this issue, here’s what I suggest you do:
Step 1: Clear the cache and data of the Gallery app
This will also reset the Gallery app back to its factory default settings but none of your pictures and videos will be deleted. In other words, it’s safe to do this as far as your media files are concerned.
- From any Home screen, tap the Apps icon.
- Tap Settings.
- Tap Applications.
- Tap Application manager
- Tap the Gallery.
- Tap Storage.
- Tap Clear data and then tap OK.
- Tap Clear cache.
After doing this procedure and the problem still occurs, reset the camera by following the same steps but choosing Camera from the list of apps.
Step 2: Try taking pictures in safe mode
Secondly, we want to make sure the problem is not caused by some third-party apps. So, reboot your phone in safe mode to temporarily disable all third-party apps. Once you booted up in that mode, try to take pictures to see if the Gallery still crashes. Assuming the error doesn’t show up and pictures are actually saved in your phone’s storage, then it’s confirmed one or some of third-party apps is causing the problem. Find the culprit and then uninstall it.
Step 3: Try deleting the system caches as some of them may have been corrupted
Corrupt caches can cause performance related problems including app crashes. Since you don’t have access to individual system caches, you cannot delete them one by one, so you just have to erase all of them at once. You can do so by booting up in recovery mode and wiping cache partition”
- Power off your Galaxy J3. Press and hold the Power key, tap Power off and then touch POWER OFF to confirm.
- 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.
Step 4: Reset your phone
After wiping the cache partition and the problem still occurs, then you have no other choice but to reset your phone. Again, backup your files and data and then follow these steps:
- From any Home screen, tap the Apps icon.
- Tap Settings.
- Tap Cloud and accounts.
- Tap Backup and restore.
- If desired, tap Backup 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.
It’s a reset done via Settings menu and you don’t have to disable anti-theft when you follow this procedure.
Galaxy J3 camera keeps crashing, displays “Warning: Camera failed” error
Problem: There is a notice that keeps showing up when I tap the camera icon. It goes “Warning: Camera failed” and it’s started happening as of late. I never dropped the phone nor it suffered liquid damage so I’m just confused now that it’s happening not to mention the phone is just a few months old as I bought it this year. Help me please. Thanks.
Troubleshooting: The error message is more likely a result of the camera sensor that failed to initialize. Needless to say, it’s more of a hardware issue than an app or firmware problem. But I still suggest you rule out the possibility of third-party apps causing the sensor to crash by booting in safe mode and taking pictures. You also need to delete the cache and data of the Camera app as it’s the one that triggers the error. Lastly, reset your phone if the issue persists. You need to do this prior to sending the phone back for repair.
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