What to do with Samsung Galaxy Note8 that keeps showing “Camera failed” error [Troubleshooting Guide]

Every time the camera is opened on your Samsung Galaxy Note 8 or any Android device on that matter, the firmware, hardware, services and some apps will work in-sync. If one of them fails to do what it’s designed to do, errors may occur and one of those error messages you may get is “Camera failed.”

The other variation of this problem is the error “Unfortunately, Camera has stopped” but in this post, we will tackle the other as we’ve been contacted by some of our readers about it. There would come a time when we will have to tackle the other error. If you are one of the owners of the Note 8 and are currently bugged by this problem, continue reading as this post may help you.

YouTube video

However, if you are looking for a solution to a different problem, make sure you drop by our Note 8 troubleshooting page for we have already addressed some of the most commonly reported issues. If you need more help with your problem, contact us by completing our questionnaire and hitting submit.

Troubleshooting Galaxy Note 8 with ‘Camera failed’ error

Our troubleshooting will be centered on ruling out every possibility until we can determine why the error occurs. That way, we can try to formulate a solution that might just fix the problem for good and allows your phone to use the camera again without any problems.

Reboot your phone

This must be the first thing you should do if the error shows up for the first time since it’s possible that it’s just a temporary glitch in either the firmware or the hardware. But aside from doing the normal reboot, it’s better that you do the Forced Reboot which simulates battery disconnect and refreshes your phone’s memory:

  • Press and hold both the Volume Down and Power keys together for 10 seconds.

Your phone will boot up normally after doing this procedure so try to access the camera if the error still shows up and if so, move on to the next procedure.

Reset the Camera app

By reset, I mean clear its cache and data so that all the files created by the system that’s used by the app will be deleted and replaced. It’s also called a reset since you will be bringing the app back to its default settings and delete all your preferences but don’t worry as none of your pictures or videos will be deleted:

  1. From the Home screen, swipe up on an empty spot to open the Apps tray.
  2. Tap Settings > Apps.
  3. Find and tap Camera.
  4. Tap Storage.
  5. Tap Clear cache.
  6. Tap Clear data and then tap OK.

Run your Note8 in Safe mode and observe

After resetting the camera app and it still fails when you open it, then you have to try to isolate the problem to know if one of the apps you installed is causing the problem. By this, I mean you have to run your device in safe mode which temporarily disables all third-party apps and services. Logically, if one of them is causing the problem then the camera should work perfectly in this mode:

  1. Turn the device off.
  2. Press and hold the Power key past the model name screen.
  3. When “SAMSUNG” appears on the screen, release the Power key.
  4. Immediately after releasing the Power key, press and hold the Volume down key.
  5. Continue to hold the Volume down key until the device finishes restarting.
  6. Safe mode will display in the bottom left corner of the screen.
  7. Release the Volume down key when you see Safe Mode.

Uninstall apps you suspect

Assuming the error doesn’t show up in safe mode and the camera works perfectly fine, then there should be an app that’s causing the problem. You need to find that app and then uninstall it to fix the issue with the camera. You may have to uninstall more than one app and reboot your phone countless times back and forth to normal mode to know if the error still shows up:

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

Wipe cache partition

You only need to do this if the problem still occurs even in safe mode. The camera apps is one of the pre-installed apps on your Note 8 so it’s deeply integrated into the firmware. There’s now a chance that this is more than just an app-related issue that’s why you will need to delete all the system caches as the first step in troubleshooting the firmware so that all possible corrupt caches will be deleted and replaced:

  1. Turn off the device.
  2. Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Bixby key, then press and hold the Power key.
  3. 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).
  4. Press the Volume down key several times to highlight ‘wipe cache partition’.
  5. Press Power button to select.
  6. Press the Volume down key until ‘yes’ is highlighted and press the Power button.
  7. When the wipe cache partition is complete, “Reboot system now” is highlighted.
  8. Press the Power key to restart the device.

Backup data and reset your phone

After wiping the cache partition and the camera still fails to initialize, then you have no other choice but to reset your phone. However, make sure you to make a backup of your important files and data as they will be deleted during the process. After the backup, follow these steps to reset your phone:

  1. Turn off the device.
  2. Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Bixby key, then press and hold the Power key.
  3. 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).
  4. Press the Volume down key several times to highlight “wipe data / factory reset.
  5. Press Power button to select.
  6. Press the Volume down key until ‘Yes — delete all user data’ is highlighted.
  7. Press Power button to select and start the master reset.
  8. When the master reset is complete, “Reboot system now” is highlighted.
  9. Press the Power key to restart the device.

Most app issues can be resolved by the reset but the error “Camera failed” may also be triggered by a hardware problem. So, if it continues after the reset, you should bring your phone to the tech so that there would be a proper checkup of the phone.

I hope that this troubleshooting guide can help you fix the camera problem with your Note8.

Posts you may also like to read:

TheDroidGuy Mailbag

🛠️If you have questions, check our Help section for details on how to submit your questions.💡


Posts You Might Like

Leave a Comment