Samsung Galaxy J7 pops up “Warning: Camera failed” error when camera is opened [Troubleshooting Guide]

The error message “Warning: Camera failed” on your Samsung Galaxy J7 is just one of the errors you may encounter while using the camera. The other variation of this is the “Unfortunately, Camera has stopped” error which may pop up when the app itself is crashing. The latter is more of an app or firmware issue while the former is more on the hardware side.

You know, the camera, simple as it may seem when you use it, is one of the most complicated processes in your phone. When you open the app, the sensor also initializes getting ready to be used and so are other services and apps like Gallery and those that run in the background. The moment you hit the capture button, all of them will work in perfect timing within a second. If something’s not right, an error may show up.

In this post, I will tackle a couple of related issues with the camera of your J7, so if you have this problem and are currently bugged by similar problem, continue reading below so that you would know what to do.

Before anything else though, if you have other issues with your device, then visit our Galaxy J7 troubleshooting page for we have already addressed several common problems with this phone. Odds are that there are already existing solutions to your problems so just take time finding issues that are similar with yours. If you can’t find one or if you need further assistance, feel free to contact us by completing our Android issues questionnaire. Please provide us with as much information as possible so that it would also be easier for us to troubleshoot the problem. Don’t worry as we offer this service for free, so all you have to do is give us sufficient information about the problem.

How to troubleshoot Galaxy J7 that shows “Warning: Camera failed” when app is opened

Problem: First of all, my phone is a Galaxy J7. Ever since I bought it in November, I never had any issues with it until as of late when it started to show up “Camera failed” error whenever I open the camera to take pictures. I have a lot of pictures in my phone and I can view them through Gallery. The only problem is that I can no longer take pictures. There was one instance wherein the error didn’t show up so I was able to use the camera but when I took a picture, the error popped up again. Not quite sure what I have to do to fix this so if you could suggest something, that would be great.

Troubleshooting: As I mentioned in the introduction, this error might be a result of a hardware problem but we’ve actually seen cases wherein this error is just a result of a more complex firmware problem. That’s the reason why we need to troubleshoot so that we would know what exactly is the problem all about. With that said, here’s what I suggest you should do:

Step 1: Clear the cache and data of the Camera app to reset it

When dealing with an issue like this wherein the device pops up an error mentioning a specific app, then you should always take into consideration that the problem might be limited to the app. So, if you won’t lose any files or data, it’s better that you reset the app first before you go to other troubleshooting procedures. So, in this case, you just have to clear the cache and data of the camera. Don’t worry, none of your pictures and videos will be deleted:

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

After this, try to open the camera and see if the error still shows up and if so, move on to the next step.

Step 2: Boot the phone in safe mode and open the camera

We have to rule out the possibility that this problem is caused by one or some of the third-party apps you downloaded or installed. So, we need to temporarily disable them all at once and try opening the camera just to find out if the error would still show up. Follow these steps to start you J7 in safe mode:

Turn the device off.
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’.

Once in this mode, open the camera. If the error won’t show up, then it means one or some of the apps you installed is causing the problem. You need to find those apps and uninstall them. You may have to uninstall more than one app to fix this problem and here’s how you do it:

From any Home screen, tap the Apps icon.
Tap Settings.
Tap Applications.
Tap Application manager.
Tap the desired application
Tap Uninstall.
Tap Uninstall again to confirm.

On the other hand, if the error still shows up when you open the camera while in safe mode, then you must continue your troubleshooting.

Step 3: Try wiping the cache partition as some caches may have been corrupted

Corrupt system caches may also cause apps to crash or may result to performance issues affecting many of the phone’s core functions. We just have to rule out the possibility that the cause of this problem is the corrupt caches. So, you have to wipe the cache partition to delete them all at once so that they’ll be replaced with new ones:

Turn off the device.
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.

The phone may take a little more time to reboot after this but once it becomes active, try to open the camera. If the error still shows up, then the next step might help.

Step 4: Backup files and reset your Galaxy J7

This is gonna be your last resort. If the problem still occurs after this, then it’s a hardware problem and you need help from a technician who can do further tests to know if the problem can still be fixed without replacing the sensor.

A reset will delete all your files and data so make sure you make a backup of those you don’t want to lose, then disable the Factory Reset Protection or anti-theft feature and then reset your phone.

How to disable anti-theft on Galaxy J7

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.

How to Master Reset your Galaxy J7

Turn off the device.
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 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.

Bring the phone to the shop if the problem still occurs after the reset.

Step-by-step guide to troubleshooting Galaxy J7 with camera that crashes which taking pictures

Problem: Hi guys! In February, I bought a Galaxy J7 phone to replace my good old S4 and since then I have been satisfied with its performance. But I think there was an update recently which installed on its own and after that, my phone keeps telling me the camera failed every time I take pictures. I mean, I can open the camera just fine but the error shows up when I try to take pictures or even record videos. I’m confused why this is happening when I’ve taken care of the phone ever since. I haven’t dropped nor submerged it in water so I know the problem couldn’t be through a physical damage but I just don’t know what the problem is all about. Can you help?

Troubleshooting: You actually just have the same problem as with the one I addressed above only that the error shows up whenever you take pictures. I’m actually thinking that the trigger isn’t the camera but another app. You see, when you take pictures, the Gallery app will come into play as it works side-by-side with the camera. It manages your pictures and videos so if it has a problem, the camera may be affected. That said, please go through the steps below so you would know what you should do:

Step 1: Clear cache and data of the Gallery app

When you do this, none of your pictures and videos will be deleted, so it’s safe. We need to do this to rule out the possibility that the problem or error is triggered by the Gallery…

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

Step 2: Reset the Camera app

After you’ve reset the Gallery app and the problem still occurs, you have to go after the app that’s crashing because maybe, that’s where the problem really is:

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

Step 3: Start your J7 in Safe mode

Just like in the first problem, you need to find out if third-party apps play a role in this problem. So, boot your phone in safe mode to temporarily disable all third-party apps and then try taking some pictures. If the problem still occurs, you have no other choice but to reset your phone.

Turn the device off.
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’.

Step 4: Factory reset your Galaxy J7

It’s necessary you reset your phone if the error still shows up after doing steps 1 to 3. There’s a possibility that it’s a hardware problem so if it still continues after the reset, then you have to let a technician check it for you. But before that, backup your files and data and then reset your phone:

From the Home screen, tap the Apps icon.
Tap Settings.
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 Factory data reset.
Tap Reset device.
If you have screen lock turned on, enter your PIN or password.
Tap Continue.
Tap Delete all.

I hope this helps.

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