Samsung Galaxy S8 keeps showing “Unfortunately, Camera has stopped” error [Troubleshooting Guide]

The error message “Unfortunately, Camera has stopped” on your Samsung Galaxy S8 is actually notifying you that the built-in camera app has crashed. Whatever the reason may be and whether or not it can be fixed, we are yet to find out.

There is another variation of this problem that affects the camera–”Warning: Camera failed.” The latter is actually more on a hardware problem while the former may be limited to just the app that’s mentioned in the error.

In this post, I will tackle the “Camera has stopped” error. We will look into each possibility why this error pops up and we’ll try to rule out one possibility after another until we can pinpoint what the problem is so that we can do something about it. So, if you own a Galaxy S8 and are currently bugged by the same problem, continue reading below as this post may be able to help you.

But before anything else, if you’re currently experiencing different issues with your phone, then I suggest you visit our Samsung Galaxy S8 troubleshooting page for we’ve already started providing support to our readers who own this device. We understand your phone is still brand new and it should work perfectly without a hitch but not even Samsung can guarantee there won’t be any problems. What we do here is provide help to our readers the best we can so if we haven’t published posts about your concern, feel free to contact us by filling up our Android issues questionnaire.

How to troubleshoot Samsung Galaxy S8 with “Camera has stopped” error

Problem: Hey guys. I am hoping you can help me because my new Galaxy S8 phone keeps saying that its camera has stopped and I can no longer take pictures or even record videos. The error shows up when I open the camera and I’ve already tried rebooting my phone a lot of times but the error won’t go away. Please help. How can I get rid of this error?

Troubleshooting: There are several factors we need to consider here to be able to determine what the real problem is because the error message alone won’t tell us what’s happening with your phone. It might be just a result of a glitch, an app problem or a serious firmware issue. We have to troubleshoot your device as soon as possible to know if it can be fixed without any help from a technician because if the problem continues, then you may have to get the device replaced. This is how you troubleshoot it:

Step 1: Forced reboot your Galaxy S8

It’s possible that a glitch is the one triggering the error message. So, the first thing we have to do is try to rule out this possibility by doing the Forced Reboot procedure: press and hold the Volume Down and the Power keys together for 7 seconds and your device will reboot. After that, open the camera and see if the error still shows up. If so, then move on to the next step.

Step 2: Reboot your phone in safe mode and open the camera

We have to know if one or some of the apps you downloaded and installed is causing the problem. To isolate the problem, you have to boot your S8 in safe mode where all third-party apps are temporarily disabled:

Turn the device off.
Press and hold the Power key past the model name screen.
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 and if the error still shows up, skip to step 4, otherwise, follow the instructions in the next step.

Step 3: Find, reset, update and / or uninstall apps that cause the problem

You only have to do this step if you can take pictures without being greeted by the error message in safe mode because it means one or some of the downloaded apps is causing the problem. The first thing you have to do is recall what are the apps you installed prior to the problem. Once you already have a suspect, try to clear its cache and data, then try to see if there’s an available update for it and lastly, if all else fails, uninstall it.

How to clear app cache and data on Galaxy S8

From the Home screen, swipe up on an empty spot to open the Apps tray.
Tap Settings > Apps.
Tap the desired application in the default list or tap 3 dots icon > Show system apps to display pre-installed apps.
Tap Storage.
Tap Clear cache.
Tap Clear data and then tap OK.

How to update apps installed on your Galaxy S8

From the Home screen, swipe up on an empty spot to open the Apps tray.
Tap Play Store.
Tap the Menu key and then tap My Apps. To keep your apps automatically updated, tap the Menu > Settings then tap Auto-update apps to select the check box.
Choose one of the following options:
1. Tap Update [xx] to update all applications with updates available.
2. Tap an individual application and then tap Update to update a single application.

How to uninstall an application from your Galaxy S8

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

Step 4: Reset the camera

Now it’s time to go after the app that’s specifically mentioned in the error message. This is to rule out the possibility that the problem is just limited to the app itself. Don’t worry, none of your pictures and videos will be deleted when you do this:

From the Home screen, swipe up on an empty spot to open the Apps tray.
Tap Settings > Apps.
Tap Camera in the default list or tap 3 dots icon > Show system apps to display pre-installed apps.
Tap Storage.
Tap Clear cache.
Tap Clear data and then tap OK.

Step 5: Delete all system caches so they’ll be replaced

After doing the previous steps and the issue or error is still showing up, then it’s time you try to delete all the system caches so that all of them will be replaced with new ones as some of them may have been corrupted or obsolete. None of your files and data will be deleted when you do this procedure, so it’s safe:

Turn off the device.
Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Bixby key, then press and hold 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 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.

If the error still shows up after this, then you have no other choice but to reset your phone.

Step 6: Backup your files and then reset your phone

This is the last procedure you need to do in a bid to fix the problem on your own. If the error is triggered a firmware issue, then a reset will be able to fix it. However, you should back up your files and data as they will be deleted especially the ones that are stored in your phone’s internal storage. After the backup, disable the Factory Reset Protection (FRP) or anti-theft feature of your phone and then feel free to reset it.

How to disable FRP on Galaxy S8

From the Home screen, swipe up on an empty spot to open the Apps tray.
Tap Settings > Cloud and accounts.
Tap Accounts.
Tap Google.
Tap on your Google ID email address if multiple accounts are setup. If you have multiple accounts setup, you will need to repeat these steps for each account.
Tap 3 dot icon.
Tap Remove account.
Tap REMOVE ACCOUNT.

How to reset your Galaxy S8 by Recovery mode

Turn off the device.
Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Bixby key, then press and hold the Power key.
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).
Press the Volume down key several times 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.

How to reset your Galaxy S8 from the Settings menu

From the Home screen, swipe up on an empty spot to open the Apps tray.
Tap Settings > Cloud and accounts.
Tap Backup and restore.
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 the back button to the Settings menu and tap General Management > Reset > Factory data reset.
Tap Reset.
If you have screen lock turned on, enter your credentials.
Tap Continue.
Tap Delete all.

Step 7: Bring the phone back to the store

If all the procedures above failed to fix the problem, then you should bring it back to the store where you bought it and have it replaced. Or, you can send it back to Samsung and let its technician check it up for you. However, expect that it will take weeks before you can have your phone back.

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