Samsung Galaxy Note 5 camera crashes, error “Warning: Camera failed” shows up [Troubleshooting Guide]

The error message “Warning: Camera failed” with your Samsung Galaxy Note 5 is just one of the problems you may encounter while using the camera app. The other one is the error “Unfortunately, Camera has stopped” which also causes the app to close. Both of these errors actually have the same result or symptoms but the latter is more of an app problem and the former, on the hardware.

If you own a Galaxy Note 5 and are currently bugged by a camera-related issue, then I suggest you continue reading as this post may be able to help you. There are a couple of issues I tackled here so there’s a chance your problem is one of them but please note that this is a troubleshooting guide and there’s no guarantee your concern will be addressed. However, we urge you to try troubleshooting your device.

• Galaxy Note 5 camera keeps closing on its own while taking pictures
• Galaxy Note 5 keeps showing “Warning: Camera failed” when camera is used

But before we jump right into our troubleshooting, if you have other issues with your phone, make sure you drop by our troubleshooting page for we have already addressed a lot of issues with this device. Try to find problems that are similar with yours and use the solutions we suggested. If they don’t work for you and if you need further assistance, contact us by filling up our Android issues questionnaire.

Galaxy Note 5 camera keeps closing on its own while taking pictures

Problem: There is a problem with my Galaxy Note 5 which started just recently and I don’t know how it started or what caused it. I have hundreds of pictures in my phone taken by its camera and recently, the camera started to crash and by crash I mean it closes on its own without warning or error. The problem happens randomly but not every time. When I use the camera, it may close if it wants to close. I’ve read online that issues similar to this leave errors but mine does not. So, I don’t really know what I should do to fix this problem but if you guys have a way on how to deal with this, please help me because I need your guidance on what to do.

Troubleshooting: Basically, there are two symptoms owners can experience when some apps crash on their Android device; the first and most common of all is that an error will pop up saying that an app has stopped working and the second is that the app just closes on its own without apparent reason or trigger. The problem I’m tackling here is obviously the latter and in this case, this is what you should do to troubleshoot your phone…

Step 1: Try to use the camera app in Safe Mode

This is a very important step as this will give you an idea whether or not the problem is caused by one of the third-party apps. Using the camera in safe mode is basically the same as using it in normal mode but the absence of third-party interference is what makes the difference. This is how you boot your Note 5 in safe mode:

1. Turn off the phone completely.
2. Press and hold the Power key.
3. Once ‘Samsung Galaxy Note5’ shows, release the Power key and immediately press and hold the Volume Down button.
4. The phone will restart but keep the Vol Down button pressed.
5. Once the phone has finished restarting, ‘Safe mode’ will be display in the lower-left corner of the screen.
6. You may now release the Volume Down button.

If the problem still occurs in safe mode, then it’s possible the problem is due to the app itself that keeps crashing. However, if it’s fixed then it means that one or some of your apps is causing the problem. Find that app and try to clear its cache and data first and if that won’t work, then uninstall it. This is how your reset an app on your Note 5…

1. From the Home screen, tap the Apps icon.
2. Find and tap Settings.
3. Under the ‘APPLICATIONS’ section, find and touch Application manager.
4. Swipe to the left or to the right to display the appropriate screen but to display all apps, choose the ‘ALL’ screen.
5. Find and tap suspected app.
6. Touch Clear cache to delete its cached files.
7. Touch Clear data and then OK to delete downloaded messages, login information, settings, etc.

And this is how you uninstall an app…

1. From the Home screen, tap the Apps icon.
2. Find and tap Settings.
3. Under the ‘APPLICATIONS’ section, find and touch Application manager.
4. Swipe to the left or to the right to display the appropriate screen but to display all apps, choose the ‘ALL’ screen.
5. Find and tap the app that has issues.
6. Touch Uninstall, then OK.

Step 2: Clear the cache and data of the Camera app to reset it

The problem is that the app closes on its own without apparent reason and while there are no error message, we can still say we have “a problem” with the app so it’s time to reset it. As to the Camera, it’s only responsible in taking pictures or even recording videos, it doesn’t actually save the pictures because we have the Gallery to do that and beside, the files are saved somewhere safe. So, it’s safe to just reset the camera app to see if the error still shows up after that.

1. From the Home screen, tap the Apps icon.
2. Find and tap Settings.
3. Under the ‘APPLICATIONS’ section, find and touch Application manager.
4. Swipe to the left or to the right to display the appropriate screen but to display all apps, choose the ‘ALL’ screen.
5. Find and tap Camera.
6. Touch Clear cache to delete its cached files.
7. Touch Clear data and then OK to delete downloaded messages, login information, settings, etc.

After this, try to take pictures again to see if the problem still occurs and if so, then it’s time to go after the firmware itself.

Step 3: Delete all the system caches so that they’ll be replaced with new ones

System caches get corrupted all the time especially during firmware updates as when a new firmware is installed, they automatically become obsolete and in which case, the new system may still continue using the old files. When it happens, issues like this may occur–error messages about apps crashing may pop up without apparent reason.

For this issue, this is what you need to do in order to troubleshoot the firmware…

1. Turn off your Samsung Galaxy Note 5 completely.
2. Press and hold the Volume Up and the Home buttons first, and then press and hold the Power key.
3. Keep the three buttons pressed and when ‘Samsung Galaxy Note5’ shows, release the Power key but continue holding the other two.
4. Once the Android logo shows, release both the Volume Up and Home buttons.
5. The notice ‘Installing system update’ will show on the screen for 30 to 60 seconds before the Android system recovery screen is shown with its options.
6. Use the Volume Down key to highlight the option ‘wipe cache partition’ and press the Power key to select it.
7. When the process is complete, use the Volume Down key to highlight the option ‘Reboot system now’ and hit the Power key to restart the phone.
8. The reboot may take a little longer to complete but don’t worry and wait for the device to become active.

After this procedure, try to trigger the error to know if it still shows up and if not, then problem solved, otherwise, move on to the next step.

Step 4: Backup your files and data and do the Master Reset

At this point wherein the problem continues to bother you and you cannot use your phone the way you want, it’s important that you bring it back to its default factory settings. However, it is important that you make a backup of your important files and data as they will be deleted during the process and that you can no longer restore them. The reset may most probably fix this issue with the camera, although there’s also a possibility it will remain, nevertheless, it’s worth it. So here’s how you do it, just choose between these methods…

How to Factory Reset Galaxy Note 5

1. From the Home screen, tap the Apps icon.
2. Find and tap the Settings icon.
3. Under the ‘Personal’ section, find and tap Backup and reset.
4. Tap Factory data reset.
5. Touch Reset device to proceed with the reset.
6. Depending on the security lock you used, enter the PIN or password.
7. Tap Continue.
8. Touch Delete all to confirm your action.

How to Master Reset Galaxy Note 5

1. Turn off your Samsung Galaxy Note 5 completely.
2. Press and hold the Volume Up and the Home buttons first, and then press and hold the Power key.
3. Keep the three buttons pressed and when ‘Samsung Galaxy Note5’ shows, release the Power key but continue holding the other two.
4. Once the Android logo shows, release both the Volume Up and Home buttons.
5. The notice ‘Installing system update’ will show on the screen for 30 to 60 seconds before the Android system recovery screen is shown with its options.
6. Use the Volume Down key to highlight the option ‘Yes — delete all user data’ and press the Power key to select it.
7. When the process is complete, use the Volume Down key to highlight the option ‘Reboot system now’ and hit the Power key to restart the phone.
8. The reboot may take a little longer to complete but don’t worry and wait for the device to become active.

If the problem remains, then ask a technician to help you fix it.

Galaxy Note 5 keeps showing “Warning: Camera failed” when camera is used

Problem: I don’t know if you guys already encountered this error but my phone keeps saying “Warning: Camera failed” whenever I use the camera and take pictures. The error show sup every time the camera is used so as a result I can no longer take pictures. It’s just so frustrating because I never had this problem before but now it keeps annoying me and the worse thing is I don’t know what to do to fix it. Can you guys please take a look at this problem for me? I would surely appreciate it if you can help me.

Troubleshooting: This error message is a result of the Camera app crashing or force closing. The other variation is “Unfortunately, Camera has stopped” which also closes the camera disallowing the owner from using it. But the error “Warning: Camera failed” is more of a hardware issue than a minor app problem. However, we still need to make sure your apps have nothing to do with it, then we’ll rule out the possibility that it’s a problem with the firmware before we can say it’s a hardware problem. That being said, here are the steps you can try in troubleshooting your phone:

1. Find out if the error also shows up when the phone is in diagnostic state. This is for you to know if one or some of your downloaded apps is causing the problem. You have to boot your phone up in safe mode and start the camera to know if the error still shows up. Doing this will temporarily disable all third-party apps that might be affecting the camera’s performance. So, if the problem is caused by one of the apps, the error won’t show up while the phone is running in safe mode and in this case, you just need to find app or group of apps that’s causing the problem, clear their caches and data or uninstall them.
2. Reset the Camera app by clearing its cache and data. You can do this while the phone is in safe mode or in normal mode as it only resets the app. Your pictures won’t be deleted so you don’t have to worry about them but your settings and preferences will be reset so you may need to set the camera app again after this. After this, try to open the camera to know if the error still shows up and if so, then move on to the next step.
3. Delete the system caches so they’ll be replaced with new ones. These files can easily get corrupted especially during firmware updates and when it happens and the new system continues to use them, problems like this may occur–performance may deteriorate, apps may crash, services may stop working. This is one of the things you can do to try to fix the problem without compromising the safety of your files and data. Try to follow the steps on how to wipe the cache partition in the first problem.
4. Do the Master Reset on your phone. This resets the phone’s settings to factory defaults, which is a necessary step in making sure the problem isn’t caused by a firmware issue. This is the last resort and if the problem still continues after this, it might be an issue with the hardware. In which case, you need a tech to take care of the problem for you. However, make sure you backup all your files and data before the reset as they won’t be restored once deleted.

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