Samsung Galaxy S8 shows “Warning: Camera failed” error when camera is opened or taking pictures [Troubleshooting Guide]

When the camera fails to initialize on your Samsung Galaxy S8 or any Android smartphone for that matter, you will either get the error “Warning: Camera failed” or “Unfortunately, Camera has stopped.”

In this post, I will tackle the first error I mentioned with the S8 being the subject of our troubleshooting. But before that, let me make it a bit clearer the difference between the two. When the error says the camera has stopped, it’s referring to the camera app the crashed of force closed for some reason. More often than not, it’s an app issue. However, when it says that camera failed, it might mean the sensor itself failed to initialize, so it’s hardware-related in nature.

I’ve cited two situations in this article but both display the camera failed error. While they may be the same, their triggers are different and that’s what we have to look into. So, continue reading below to know more about this error and learn what to do in a bid to fix it.

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.

Camera failed error shows on Galaxy S8 when camera is opened

Problem: Hello droid guy. I bought the new S8 and I’ve used it for more than a week now. At first, everything was working fine until one day I saw an error message that said “Warning: Camera failed.” I just closed it thinking it was just temporary but since yesterday everytime I open the camera the error shows up. As a result I cannot take pictures or record videos and I usually do that. Do I need to have this phone replaced? Thanks.

Troubleshooting: Basically, the trigger is the app itself. The thing is, whenever you open the camera app, the sensor will automatically initialize in preparation for when you hit the capture or record button on the screen. Other services will also be called to work with the camera like the Gallery app that manages pictures taken by the camera. All these things happen in a split second and if there’s one thing that won’t load, then this error might show.  So, here’s what I suggest you do for this kind of problem:

Step 1: Clear the cache and data of the Camera app

This procedure will reset the camera app as well as delete the files it created. It means that it will be brought back to its default settings and all your preferences will be deleted. The camera will be like when you first opened it and this is how you do it:

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

After this, try to open the app and see if the error still shows up and if it does, then move on to the next step.

Step 2: Find out if third-party apps have something to do with it

Third-party apps or those you downloaded from the Play Store and installed manually can cause pre-installed apps to crash sometimes especially if those apps use the same service as with built-in ones. That’s why it’s necessary to know if they have something to do with this problem or not because if so, then we’re already halfway to solving it. To know that, you need to start  your phone up in safe 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.
8. Uninstall apps that are causing a problem.

As soon as the phone enters this mode, open the camera and see if the error still shows. Assuming the error doesn’t show when the phone is in this mode, then it’s confirmed one or some of the apps you installed is causing the problem. The next challenge is to find that app, reset it and if that won’t work, uninstall it. So, begin your search from apps  you installed before the problem started. If you suspect an app, clear its cache and data first…

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 Storage.
5. Tap Clear cache.
6. Tap Clear data and then tap OK.

If this doesn’t work, then uninstall the app…

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.

If this doesn’t work either, then you have no other choice but to do the next step.

Step 3: Backup important files and data, do the Master Reset

We just have to finally bring the phone back to its factory default settings to know if it has something to do with the firmware. However, since all your files and data will be deleted when you reset the device, you have to make a backup. After which, disable the anti-theft feature of your phone and then you may proceed with the reset.

How to disable anti-theft on Galaxy S8

1. From the Home screen, swipe up on an empty spot to open the Apps tray.
2. Tap Settings > Cloud and accounts.
3. Tap Accounts.
4. Tap Google.
5. 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.
6. Tap 3 dot icon.
7. Tap Remove account.
8. Tap REMOVE ACCOUNT.

How to Master Reset your Galaxy S8

You follow these steps after you’ve disabled the anti-theft feature of 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.

If the problem still happens after the reset, you have to bring the phone back to the store and have it replaced as it’s clearly a more serious problem than we anticipated. You don’t have to deal with this problem for all the time you’ll be using the phone.

Galaxy S8 camera fails every time user takes pictures

Problem: For some reason, my new Galaxy S8 cannot take pictures anymore because whenever I try to there’s a warning message that would show up saying “Camera failed.” I’m not quite sure when it started or why this problem is happening, not really a tech person and I bought this phone thinking it would be perfect for me but this problem tells me I might have made a wrong decision by not getting an Apple. So, if you guys can help me out, that would be great. I just want this device to work perfectly. Thanks.

Troubleshooting: At least, in this problem, the owner can still open the camera and that’s something. It might not be a camera problem itself but an issue with one or some of the services that the camera is using. Therefore, we will have to take a different route although the procedures may be the same.

Step 1: Try taking pictures while the phone is in safe mode

We will try to limit the services and apps that are running to see if there’s a difference. So, try to boot your Galaxy S8 in safe mode and then use the camera. If the error doesn’t show up, then there’s one app that might be messing with the camera. Find that app and then uninstall it. It might be another camera app you installed or anything that manages pictures and videos.

How to start Galaxy S8 in Safe 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.
8. Uninstall apps that are causing a problem.

Step 2: Wipe the cache partition so old system caches will be replaced

There’s a chance that some of the system caches got corrupted and among them is the cache used by the system to run the camera. We have to rule this possibility out so you need to start your phone up in recovery mode and then wipe the cache partition. Don’t worry, none of your files and data would be delete if you did this:

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 the Power key to select.
6. Press the Volume down key to highlight “yes” and press the Power key to select.
7. When the wipe cache partition is complete, “Reboot system now” is highlighted.
8. Press the Power key to restart the device.

Step 3: Factory Reset your Galaxy S8

After wiping the cache partition and the problem still occurs, then you have no other option but to reset your phone, at least, before you bring it back to the store. Make sure you backup your files and data first as they will be deleted and could no longer be recovered. After the backup, follow these steps:

1. Back up data on the internal memory. If you have signed into a Google account on the device, you have activated Anti-theft and will need your Google credentials to finish the Master reset.
2. From the Home screen, swipe up on an empty spot to open the Apps tray.
3. Tap Settings > Cloud and accounts.
4. Tap Backup and restore.
5. If desired, tap Back up my data to move the slider to ON or OFF.
6. If desired, tap Restore to move the slider to ON or OFF.
7. Tap the back button to the Settings menu and tap General Management > Reset > Factory data reset.
8. Tap Reset.
9. If you have screen lock turned on, enter your credentials.
10. Tap Continue.
11. Tap Delete all.

If all else fails, bring it back to the store.

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