You’ve found the perfect spot to take your newest selfie, but when you try to use your Android phone to take a snap, it says unfortunately camera has stopped working. Nothing can be more frustrating than this.
With more than 2.5 billion active Android devices in the world today, most, if not all of them come with a default camera app. Cameras are an important part of any smartphone today; it’s even one of the top priorities for most buyers when they’re looking to buy a new device.
When the phone camera stops working, you need solutions fast so you can get back to taking your picture-perfect memories that you’ll store for years to come. Besides restarting your device, here are some troubleshooting steps you can take to fix the problem on Android.
How to fix unfortunately camera has stopped on Android
Restart Camera
If you get the unfortunately camera has stopped error on Android for a long time, you can exit and close the camera app, and then wait a few seconds before restarting it. However, this is a temporary solution, but it can help you take photos almost immediately while trying other fixes later on.
Clear Camera cache files
Like other apps, your camera also stores cache files that help it work faster. Cache files are created for a better user experience, but when they get corrupted, they can create errors that hinder you from using the camera app. To clear camera cache, do this:
- Open Settings>Apps>App manager
- Under All tab, find Camera and tap it then tap Force stop to close the app
- Tap Clear cache and try opening camera again
You can also clear data files to check if it helps. The process is the same, only instead of tapping clear cache, you’ll tap clear data. This won’t delete any of your photos. Clear cache and data for the Gallery app too.
Update software
Sometimes bugs may cause the camera app to stop working in Android. To clear such bugs, you need patches that come from updating your software for apps to work properly again. To do this:
- Open Settings>tap About device
- Tap Software update or System update
The device will check for updates and install them on the device. Once it completes installation and restarts, try the camera app again.
If all else fails, try using Safe Mode, or use a third-party camera app. As a last resort, you can perform a factory reset on your Android device.
Elsie is a tech writer with 8+ years professional experience. For Tech News Watch, she brings rich experience contributing to topics such as Windows, MacOS, Android, and iOS among others. In her spare time, she loves checking out the latest tech trends, gadgets, and news, listening to music and cars.