Android camera not working? 7 fixes to try

2 min read · 7 steps · Updated 2 October 2026

A black picture, an error message or a camera app that closes at once usually comes from the app or from another app that is using the camera, not from a broken camera. These steps follow Google's list for Pixel phones and work in the same way on other Android phones.

Menu names below are from Google Pixel phones on a recent Android version. Samsung, Xiaomi and other brands rename some of them. The pictures are simplified diagrams of the screen, not screenshots.

Step by step

1. Clean the lens

   Wipe the camera lens and the small sensor next to it gently with a soft, clean cloth. Blurry or hazy photos are very often a dirty lens.

   Done

2. Restart the phone

   On a Pixel 6 or later, press the power button and volume up together and tap Power off. On older Pixels and most other phones, hold the power button. Switch the phone on again.

   Done

3. Clear the Camera app's cache

   Touch and hold the Camera app icon and tap App info. Tap Storage & cache, then Clear cache. Your photos are not touched by this.

   Done

4. Update the Camera app

   Open the Play Store, tap your profile picture, then Manage apps & devices. Install the updates under Updates available.

   Done

5. Update Android

   Open Settings, tap System, then Software update, and check for an update.

   Done

6. Close other apps that use the camera

   Video call apps, torch apps and QR scanners can hold on to the camera. Close them, or restart the phone, and open the Camera app first.

   Done

7. Test in safe mode

   Start the phone in safe mode and try the camera. If it works there, an app you installed is blocking it. Restart normally and uninstall recently installed apps one at a time, testing after each. See how to start an Android phone in safe mode.

   Done

Good to know

If another app cannot use the camera while the Camera app can, the app is missing the permission. See how to see which apps can use your location, camera and microphone on Android.

If the camera fails with the message that storage is full, clear space first: how to free up storage on an Android phone.

A camera that stays black in safe mode and after an update is probably faulty. Contact the maker of the phone.

In short: Clean the lens, restart, clear the camera cache, update the app and Android, close other camera apps, safe mode.