The warning “Camera failed” that seems to be bothering some owners of the Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus often shows up when you open the default Camera app or any app that uses the camera for that matter. Unlike the “Camera has stopped” error, this one has a tendency to be a serious hardware problem, although my experience would tell me that it could also be just due to a minor issue with the camera or caused by third-party applications.
In this article, I will walk you through in troubleshooting your Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus that’s having some issues with its camera. We will consider every possibility and rule them out one after another until we can determine what the problem is and hopefully fix it. So, if you’re one of the owners of this device and are currently being bugged by a similar issue, continue reading as this article may be able to help you one way or another.
Before we move on to our troubleshooting, if you happen to find this post while looking for a solution to a different problem, then visit our Galaxy S10+ Help Guides page for we have already addressed some of the most common issues with this device. We may have already published articles that could help you fix your problem. Find issues that are similar with yours and feel free to use our solutions.
Fixing Galaxy S10 Plus with “Camera failed” error
When you open the Camera app, the app, services, firmware and the sensor initialize and if one of them is not in-sync with the others, that’s when this error shows up. All these processes are happen in split-second but it only occurs if there’s really an issue with the phone. Another thing, while the Galaxy S10 Plus is a very powerful phone and actually offers multitasking capability, when it comes to camera, apps should take turn using the camera sensor and the services that make it function. So, if it’s being used by one app like a screen recorder that often uses the front camera and then you open the Camera app, the “Camera failed” error may occur. With all that being said, here are the things you need to do to try and fix it…
First solution: Force Restart your phone first
When troubleshooting a possible app or firmware issue, it’s best to begin with this procedure. It’s a simulated battery removal that will refresh your phone’s memory as well as reload all its applications and services. If it’s just a minor issue, you should be able to fix or get rid of the error message after doing this. Here’s how it’s done:
- Press and hold the Volume Down button and don’t release it yet.
- While holding down the volume button, press and hold the Power key as well.
- Keep both keys held down together for 15 seconds or until the Galaxy S10 Plus logo shows on the screen.
After this, try to take a few pictures to see if the Camera failed error would still show up. If it does, then move on to the next solution.
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Second solution: Restart your phone in Safe mode
As I said earlier, it’s possible that the cause of the problem is an app. We don’t know if that’s the case here and whether or not it’s third-party or pre-installed. So, to rule it out, it’s best to just restart your phone in safe mode to temporarily disable all third-party apps. Here’s how to reboot your phone in safe mode:
- Press and hold the Power key until options show.
- Tap and hold the Power off option until it changes into Safe Mode.
- Tap the Safe mode icon to restart your device.
- Once the reboot is successful, you should see ‘Safe mode’ at the lower-left corner of the screen.
Pre-installed applications would still show up even in this mode so try to take pictures to see if the Camera failed error still shows up. If it still does, then move on to the next solution.
Third solution: Clear Camera Cache
The system creates a cache for every app in your phone. These small files are important as they help make those apps work smoothly. However, there are times when they get corrupted and when it happens, performance issues may occur including app crashes and other errors. To rule this out, clear the cache so that it will be replaced with a new one. Here’s how:
- Swipe down from the top of the screen to pull the notification panel down.
- Tap the Settings icon on the upper-right corner.
- Scroll to and then tap Apps.
- Find and tap Camera.
- Tap Storage.
- Touch Clear cache.
If the Camera failed error still shows up on your Galaxy S10 Plus even after doing this, then try the next method.
ALSO READ: How to fix Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus that’s running slow
Fourth solution: Reset the Camera
In this step, we’re going to reset the Camera app. This will also reset all the services that the app is using. If it’s just an issue with the app, then this procedure will fix it. Don’t worry, none of your pictures or videos will be deleted if you did this:
- Swipe down from the top of the screen to pull the notification panel down.
- Tap the Settings icon on the upper-right corner.
- Scroll to and then tap Apps.
- Find and tap Camera.
- Tap Storage.
- Touch Clear data and then tap OK to confirm.
- Reboot your phone.
After this, try to see if the camera failed error still occurs if you open the app. If it does, it’s time to look into your phone’s settings and configuration.
Fifth solution: Reset All Settings
Some settings in your phone may have been changed and cause inconsistencies. Things like this may cause issues like app crashes and other performance related problems. If it’s really the case, then follow these steps to fix it or at least, rule out this possibility:
- Swipe down from the top of the screen to pull the notification panel down.
- Tap the Settings icon on the upper-right corner.
- Scroll to and tap General management.
- Touch Reset.
- Tap Reset settings.
- Tap the Reset settings button.
- If prompted, enter your PIN, Password or Pattern.
- Finally, tap Reset.
If the Camera failed error continues to but you after this, then troubleshoot the firmware.
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Sixth solution: Delete the system cache
The system cache may also become corrupted just like app caches. We recommend that you delete the system cache from time to time so that you can rest assured that your phone is using a new cache. In doing this procedure, you will only delete the system cache and no other files. It’s been proven that this method is effective and here’s how it’s done:
- Turn off the device.
- Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Bixby key, then press and hold the Power key.
- When the Galaxy S10+ logo shows, release all three keys.
- Your Galaxy S10 Plus will continue to boot up into the Recovery Mode. Once you see a black screen with blue and yellow texts, proceed to the next step.
- Press the Volume down key several times to highlight wipe cache partition.
- Press Power key to select.
- Press the Volume down key to highlight yes, them 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 problem continues after this, then you have no other choice but to reset your phone.
Seventh solution: Backup your files and reset your phone
At this point, a master reset is necessary. There’s no guarantee that the Camera failed error would be fixed but this will rule out the possibility that it’s just an issue with the firmware. If the problem continues after the reset, then it’s probably a hardware problem.
Before the reset, make sure to create a copy of your important files and data as they will be delete. Also, remove your Google and Samsung accounts so that you won’t be locked out of your device after the reset. Here’s how to reset your phone:
- Turn off the device.
- Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Bixby key, then press and hold the Power key.
- When the Galaxy S10+ logo shows, release all three keys.
- Your Galaxy S10 Plus will continue to boot up into the Recovery Mode. Once you see a black screen with blue and yellow texts, proceed to the next step.
- 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’ 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.
If the camera failed error still shows up after this, then bring your phone back to the store so that a technician can check it up for you. I hope that we’ve been able to help you fix your Galaxy S10 Plus that keeps showing the “Camera failed” error. We would appreciate it if you helped us spread the word so please share this post if you found it helpful. Thank you so much for reading!
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