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Verifiedintermediateest. 10 minutes

Fix Camera Failed or Black Screen Error on Android

Default camera app crashes, shows a black screen, or displays a Camera Failed error. Clear camera cache and check sensor permissions.

camerahardware-errorpermissions

Confirmed working on: Android 12 · Android 13 · Android 14

Before you begin

Match the environmentUse this guide only for Android 12, Android 13, Android 14 or a clearly compatible setup.
Protect recoveryBack up important data and save encryption or account recovery keys before changing system state.
Know when to stopMake one change at a time and stop if the result differs from what the guide describes.

Problem overview

When you open the camera app, you are greeted with a black screen or an error message stating ‘Camera failed’ or ‘Cannot connect to camera’.

Common causes

  • Another app (like Snapchat or a flashlight app) has locked the camera hardware
  • Camera app cache corruption
  • System OS bug requiring a restart
  • Physical hardware failure of the camera module

Solution 1: Force stop the Camera app

  1. Open Settings > Apps > See all apps.
  2. Scroll down and tap Camera.
  3. Tap Force stop.
  4. Tap Storage & cache, then select Clear cache.
  5. Reopen the Camera app to test it.
Expert Tip

If the native camera app still fails, try downloading a third-party camera app from the Play Store. If the third-party app works, the issue is purely software.

Solution 2: Revoke camera access for other apps

  1. Open Settings > Privacy > Permission manager.
  2. Tap Camera.
  3. Look at the apps listed under Allowed all the time or Allowed only while in use.
  4. Temporarily set suspicious apps to Don’t allow to see if they were holding the camera hardware hostage.

Solution 3: Check for updates and reboot

  1. Restart your phone to kill any background processes tying up the camera driver.
  2. Go to Settings > System > System update and install any pending updates.
  3. Open the Play Store and check if your specific camera app (e.g., Google Camera) has a pending update.

Confirm the result

  1. Repeat the exact action that originally triggered the problem.
  2. Confirm the original error or symptom is gone and no new warning has appeared.
  3. If the guide changed a driver, service, package, or system setting, restart once and test again.
  4. If the result is worse or unexpected, stop. Reverse only the last change using its documented restore option; if none is documented, use your backup or qualified support.

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