Samsung Galaxy S7 camera started failing after the Nougat update [Troubleshooting Guide]

When the camera in your Samsung Galaxy S7 starts to fail, there are three possibilities we have to consider. First, it might be just an issue with the app itself. In this case, it’s a minor problem and can be fixed without any help from anybody. Second, it might be an issue with the firmware, which more serious than the first but can still be fixed without any help. Third, it might be a hardware issue; the sensor itself might have some problems that’s why the app keeps crashing.

In this post, I will tackle a couple of camera issues that may be similar to what you have. We will try to rule out each possibility for each problem until the phone can function normally or use its camera without having any problems. So, if you own this phone and are currently experiencing similar issues, continue reading below as this post may be able to help you.

Now, before anything else, if you have other issues with your phone, make sure you drop by our Galaxy S7 troubleshooting page for we have already provided solutions to hundreds of problems reported by our readers. Odds are that we may have already provided a solution to the problem you currently have so try to find issues that are similar with yours on that page and feel free to use the solutions we suggested. If they don’t work or if you need further assistance, fill up our Android issues questionnaire and hit submit to contact us.

Samsung Galaxy S7 camera won’t open after the nougat update

Problem: Have you guys encountered having issues with your Galaxy S7 camera after the latest update? Mine won’t open at all. When I tap on the Camera icon, the screen goes blank for a second and it brings me back to the home screen. There’s no error, no nothing. It just won’t open. Can you help?

Troubleshooting: It’s apparently an issue with the camera app so we’ll have to directly troubleshoot the app. For this, there are only three things you have to do at most and I’m certain one of them will fix the problem.

Solution 1: Reset the Camera app by clearing its cache and data

As I said, we have to troubleshoot the app first and then others will follow. By clearing the cache and data, you’re actually deleting files that might have been corrupted and when it comes to this kind of problem, this procedure is very effective and it might be the only thing you have to do. Here’s how you do it:

1. From any Home screen, tap the Apps icon.
2. Tap Settings.
3. Tap Applications.
4. Tap Camera.
5. Tap Storage.
6. Tap Clear cache.
7. Tap Clear data and then tap OK.

After this, try to open the camera app and see if it does. If the problem remains, then move on to the next solution.

Solution 2: Reboot your phone in recovery mode and wipe the cache partition

There’s a possibility that the cache used by the system to run the Camera has been corrupted, so to rule out this possibility, you need to bring your phone to start in Recovery mode and then wipe the cache partition, which contains all system caches. Once deleted, the system will rebuild those caches during the next reboot and that might just fix the problem.

1. Turn off the device.
2. Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Home key, then press and hold the Power key.
3. When the device logo screen displays, release only the Power key.
4. 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).
5. Press the Volume down key several times key to highlight ‘wipe cache partition’.
6. Press the Power key to select.
7. Press the Volume down key to highlight ‘yes’ and press the Power key to select.
8. When the wipe cache partition is complete, ‘Reboot system now’ is highlighted.
9. Press the Power key to restart the device.

Once the phone becomes active, open the app. If the problem wasn’t fixed, then the next step will.

Solution 3: Reset your Galaxy S7

This is the last procedure you have to do and it is all you need to fix the problem even if the first two methods failed. The reason why it is always the last one to be done is become of the hassle in backing up your files and data, and there’s a possibility you may lose some of the most important data you have if you’re not careful. So, the first hassle is to backup important files in your phone. The second is restoring them after the reset. At this point, however, you have no other option but to do this. Therefore, take time backing up your files and data. After which, disable the Factory Reset Protection so you won’t be locked out. Here’s how…

1. From any Home screen, tap the Apps icon.
2. Tap Settings.
3. Tap Cloud and accounts.
4. Tap Accounts.
5. Tap Google.
6. Tap your Google ID email address. If you have multiple accounts setup, you will need to repeat these steps for each account.
7. Tap Menu.
8. Tap Remove account.
9. Tap REMOVE ACCOUNT.

And this is how you reset your phone…

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

I hope this helps.

Galaxy S7 Camera failed issue after the update

Problem: I did the most recent update with my S7 on 5/27/17 and once the update was complete every time I try to open the camera it just says camera failed. When it just worked 10 minutes before the update.

Solution: Most of the time, due to firmware update the caches or files of the device have a tendency to be corrupted or outdated. But the good thing is, this issue is mostly software-related and could be fixed through simple troubleshooting procedures. What we recommend you to do now is to rule out all possibilities so that we can come up with the solution and can resolve the issue without bringing the device to the tech. Here are the step by step procedures that we want you to do:

Step 1: Disable Smart Stay

The Smart Stay is one of the features that Samsung has been added to the phone wherein its purpose is to detect the eyeballs of the user using its front camera to stay on the device without tapping the screen when you are reading or browsing on your phone. Although there is no apparent reason why this feature triggered the problem but, perhaps, in the next update this issue will be fixed. Meanwhile, you can follow these steps:

1. From the Home screen, tap the Apps icon.
2. Find and tap on Settings.
3. Tap Display.
4. Touch Smart Stay.
5. Touch the toggle switch to turn it Off.
6. Reboot your phone.

Step 2: Clear the Cache and data of the Camera app

As the new firmware has been installed, we have to eliminate the suspicion that corrupted caches and data of the app caused the camera to function abnormally. Through deletion, we are bringing back the app to its default settings so that on the next reboot fresher caches will be created. After doing so, try to launch the camera app and see if there’s changes on its performance.

1. From the Home screen, tap the Apps icon.
2. Find and tap on Settings.
3. Touch Applications and then Application manager.
4. Swipe to ALL tab.
5. Find and touch the Camera app.
6. Touch the Force Close button first.
7. Then, tap Storage.
8. Tap Clear cache and then Clear data, Delete.

Step 3: Wipe the system cache partition

This procedure is similar in wiping the cache and data of the app the only difference is, this method will reset all caches in the directory that the device had been using since the first time you used it. In fact, it is advisable to every user to clear the cache partition from time to time especially if an update has been made to remove those old ones and to be replaced by newer caches. Here are the steps:

1. Turn off your Samsung Galaxy S7.
2. Press and then hold the Home and Volume UP keys, then press and hold the Power key.
3. When the Samsung Galaxy S7 shows on the screen, release the Power key but continue holding the Home and Volume Up keys.
4. When the Android logo shows, you may release both keys and leave the phone be for about 30 to 60 seconds.
5. Using the Volume Down key, navigate through the options and highlight ‘wipe cache partition.’
6. Once highlighted, you may press the Power key to select it.
7. Now highlight the option ‘Yes’ using the Volume Down key and press the Power button to select it.
8. Wait until your phone is finished doing the Master Reset. Once completed, highlight ‘Reboot system now’ and press the Power key.
9. The phone will now reboot longer than usual.

Step 4: Perform Master reset on your phone

If all method doesn’t work on your phone, then the firmware itself has a problem. In this instance, all you need to do is to reset the device to remove all bugs and other corrupted caches that conflict the system of the phone. But before doing so, we suggest that you should backup all important because it will be erased.

1. Turn off your Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge.
2. Press and then hold the Home and Volume UP keys, then press and hold the Power key.
3. When the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge shows on the screen, release the Power key but continue holding the Home and Volume Up keys.
4. When the Android logo shows, you may release both keys and leave the phone be for about 30 to 60 seconds.
5. Using the Volume Down key, navigate through the options and highlight ‘wipe data / factory reset.’
6. Once highlighted, you may press the Power key to select it.
7. Now highlight the option ‘Yes — delete all user data’ using the Volume Down key and press the Power button to select it.
8. Wait until your phone is finished doing the Master Reset. Once completed, highlight ‘Reboot system now’ and press the Power key.
9. The phone will now reboot longer than usual.

I hope these procedures will help resolve the issue, because if not, you can contact your service provider or the store where you purchased the device.

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