When choosing a new smartphone, each of us has a long list of requirements. For example, for many it is important that the phone has a good camera. And this applies to both front and rear shooting. Indeed, thanks to modern smartphones, many have already forgotten what an ordinary camera is. That is why breakdowns become a serious nuisance. Let's talk today about why the camera on the phone does not work and whether something can be done about it.

Android OS has a lot of positive aspects, a huge list of convenient settings and the ability to work with internal files. This allows users to customize their phone as much as possible for themselves. But often these same points become the causes of system malfunctions. And if, for example, the camera on the phone stops working, most users are lost and do not know what to do.

Among the most common causes of the problem are the following:

• Difficulty updating.
• Installing programs that led to failures.
• Use of unlicensed firmware.
• Removing system files.
• The appearance of viruses in the gadget.
• Other problems.

If you have a poor-quality image on the screen during the shooting process, and you want to eliminate it, then just try to wipe the lens well. Perhaps it got a little dirty, which caused the problem. Modern lenses are very touch sensitive and easily pick up fingerprints.

If the standard or front camera stops working, then there may be errors in the operation of some system parameters. The phone may be all right, you just need to reboot. There is a good chance this will fix the problem.

Almost 90% of all problems can be solved using this method.

Mechanical damage to the module

It is much worse if the front camera has undergone a strong mechanical impact, for example, after the phone has been dropped. In fact, just once unsuccessfully dropping the phone is enough to make shooting from this device impossible. It is also possible that the camera itself burned out or the cable inside the device was frayed.

In any case, even if the device is still under warranty, you still have to make repairs at your own expense. Mechanical damage is not covered by the warranty.

Return to factory settings

The reason may be software. If there is no mechanical damage and the problem is not hardware, then there is another solution. For example, reset to factory settings. This will remove the installed applications, perhaps the problem was in them or in another system error. In any case, such a decision should help at least determine the amount of damage.

Before that, you need to save data for recovery, including those that are in applications. This is necessary so that you do not have to re-work in them. Therefore, they need to be saved to cloud storage or other media, for this you will need to use a computer.

After the reset, the settings will return to the factory settings, as if the device had just arrived from the store. Therefore, we can consider that this is one of the extreme methods. We use it in cases where the rest did not lead to any results.

Virus check

Unfortunately, not only Windows on a PC is subject to hacker attacks. There are just as many Trojans and other malware for Android. It is worth clarifying that usually the user himself is to blame for the infection of his device. Usually the reason is the installation of applications from third-party sources.

Viruses can also affect the operation of the built-in camera. To fix the problem, you need to download an antivirus program from the Play Market and run a scan. There are several other options as well. For example, you can additionally connect the device to a computer and check it with a standard antivirus. Perhaps this will help fix the problem.

Installing Special Utilities

Perhaps the problem arose after you replaced the regular utility with another camera application. This application may interfere with the normal operation of the standard program. You just need to delete it and reboot your device.

If you haven't installed anything, you can try downloading another photo app and see how it works. If everything is fine, then the problem can be fixed by simply clearing the cache. For this you need:

• Go to menu.
• In Applications.
• "All Applications".
• "Camera".
• Find it at the bottom and click on "Clear Cache".

Conclusion

If there is a problem in the photo and video cameras, then everything is solved. In any case, you should not worry and get upset. If you can’t solve the problem yourself, then in this case it would be best to turn to professionals. After you have tried the above methods, and none of this helped, then it is better to take your gadget to a special service.

Video

If the camera does not turn on on Android, then the causes of the problem may lie in software errors or problems at the hardware level. The user can deal with errors in the operation of the system on his own, but the replacement of a failed component will require the intervention of a specialist.

This article is suitable for all brands that produce phones on Android 9/8/7/6: Samsung, HTC, Lenovo, LG, Sony, ZTE, Huawei, Meizu, Fly, Alcatel, Xiaomi, Nokia and others. We are not responsible for your actions.

Possible reasons why the camera does not turn on

If you didn’t drop or beat your Android device, but at some point found that the camera was not working, then most likely the reason for this is. It could be:

• Incorrect camera setting.
• Application conflict.
• Out of memory.
• Cache overflow.
• Virus infection.
• Incorrect firmware.

If everything is in order with the system, pay attention to the physical state of the module. The camera may not turn on due to mechanical damage after being hit or dropped, or due to lens contamination.

What to do

If the camera suddenly stops turning on, restart your device. Restarting the system will help resolve non-critical crashes and return the photo and video app to a working state.

Increase

If the camera turns on but does not save photos, check its settings. Pay attention to which save path is specified. It often happens that a memory card is selected in the settings, which is currently removed from the device. Try resetting your camera settings to default (not all versions of Android have this option).

Pay attention to the state of memory: if there is no space, then photos and videos have nowhere to be saved. Perhaps the problem is not in the camera itself, but in the application that serves it. To fix errors, clear the cache of the standard program:

1. Open settings.
2. Go to the Applications section.
3. Select the default Camera app.
4. Clear data and cache.

If the standard application does not work, download another program with camera functions from the Play Market. However, keep in mind that just the presence of such an application may be the reason that the camera will not turn on. Try different applications and configurations to see if they affect the functionality of the module.

Another reason may be. To eliminate this option, install several antivirus utilities and scan the system. It will be useful to check the operation of the camera in Android safe mode. If it starts there, but not in normal mode, clean the system from viruses and suspicious applications.

Can be used . All data will be deleted from the memory, but you will know for sure that there are no conflicting or malicious applications in the phone.

If problems in the operation of the camera arose after updating the system or flashing the device, then the logical solution would be to roll back to the previous state. You will have to flash the device again using a verified official build.

Nowadays, various software products are becoming more and more popular that help to communicate with people via the Internet, including using a video camera. Among the many such programs, Skype is especially popular. The main way to communicate through this program is, of course, video chat. The camera allows you to see the image of your interlocutor, as if communicating live. Thus, you can "visit" anyone you want without leaving your home. Pretty handy thing, right?
That's just more and more often there are certain. This is what users often complain about: the camera does not show the image well or does not show anything at all, the camera does not work, I don’t see the interlocutor, or I see the interlocutor, but it’s bad, they don’t see or hear me, etc. Sometimes it even happens that when Skype is on, the camera does not work, although everything works fine on the computer. Many immediately grab their laptop or system unit and quickly carry it to a service center so that everything is repaired and adjusted there. But it turns out that setting up a camera on Skype is not so difficult, and you don’t need to have special knowledge and skills for this.

Setting up the camcorder on a computer

So, the first step is to find out if the camera is working or not. Maybe the computer (laptop) does not see it? Or is the device not working in Skype? Before you start working with Skype, you should pay attention to the following:

• whether the camcorder is connected to the computer;
• whether the latest drivers are installed for it.

A common cause of various camera problems is that the cord is simply not fully connected (or pulled out) without the user being aware of it. You need to check if everything is securely installed.
You also need to test the performance of this device. First of all, you need to check the availability of drivers and the correctness of their installation. It is because of the drivers that Skype often shows an inverted image. To do this, go to the device manager. Right-click on the shortcut menu on the "My Computer" tab, select "Properties" in the list that appears, and then select the "Device Manager" line on the left. Here you can check the status of the webcam. If there are emergency icons nearby, then there are certain problems, possibly with the drivers. To reinstall the drivers, you need to determine the make and model of the camcorder and update the drivers yourself from the manufacturer's official website.

If this causes certain difficulties, you can use programs that themselves will find and install the necessary drivers for all your devices (for example, RadarSync). Usually such problems concern users of Windows XP and Vista. Since the new Windows 7 and 8 automatically download drivers for any device, you just need to connect them to your computer.

If everything was fixed and configured, or there were no problems at this stage initially, we proceed to the next step.

Setting up a video camera on Skype

So, the camera on the computer was installed and tested for operability. Next, you need to check if your webcam is selected in the Skype settings. To do this, on the menu bar, select "Tools", then "Settings". On the left, select the "Video Settings" tab. If it shows an image, it means that everything is working and the webcam does not need to be configured. If, instead of the image, something like “Skype does not see your device” is written, then move on.

By the way, good to know. If you do not want the webcam to turn on every video call, then you need to find the line “Show me when calling” in the same menu and select the “No one” item. In this case, the program will not immediately show you to the interlocutor by default, but will first ask if you want the camera to be turned on. Sometimes this is very helpful.

So we need to check:

• whether the video device is being used by other programs. Only one program can work with the webcam at the same time, because of this, Skype often does not see the camera;
• availability of up-to-date drivers. Even if everything is fine with the drivers, reinstall them. Sometimes it helps.
• the presence of a checkbox in the item "Enable Skype video". Go to the familiar menu (Tools-Settings) and put this checkmark there. After that, the name of your device should appear in the "Select webcam" list. Select it, and if the image shows, click "Save".

Alas, sometimes when making the next call, the user may suddenly see that his camera is not functioning. All answers to the question Why is the camera not working on Skype?, as well as the reasons for this, can be divided into two large groups:

1. hardware problems;
2. problems in the software.

Problems with hardware

• Sometimes an unlucky user may forget to connect the webcam to the computer if it is remote. You need to check the reliability of the connection of the connecting cable and download Skype to your computer.
• Webka is a rather unpretentious device that rarely fails. This is especially true of the cameras built into the laptop. But sometimes they break too. You can, of course, try to take the camera to the service, but it will be easier and sometimes cheaper to buy a new one. To eliminate this option, you can try connecting another camera to the computer.
• It is also possible for the video card to fail, but in this case other signs of failure will be noticeable. Replacing the video card is the only recipe in this situation.

Problems with the "software"

If possible, you can test the camera on another computer. If everything functions on it, most likely, the cause of the failure lies in the software part.

1. The most likely is a glitch in the camera drivers. As a rule, drivers and utilities are included with any webcam. Through the Device Manager, you need to find the desired webcam and remove all drivers, and then reinstall everything again. You can also try updating your drivers to the latest version.
2. You can also refer to the camera control utility. It is likely that an incorrect parameter is set in the settings. It is impossible to advise anything in advance in this case, since each model has its own utility with its own interface.
3. The settings in Skype itself have been messed up. This happens most often. To restore them, you need to select "Tools" - "Settings" and in the new window select "Video Settings" on the left. In the upper right corner is a selection of webcams installed on the computer. Select the required one from the dropdown list. You can also move the sliders in the Webcam Settings option.
4. It happens that access to the “webcam” from the side of any program is blocked by an antivirus. In the antivirus settings you need to add