iPhone front/rear camera not working

Although iPhone is one of the best smartphones for photos in the current market, users are encountering different camera not working issues whether they are using new models like iPhone X/8/7/6s /6 or earlier version like iPhone 5s/5. This article collects all the common issues that can occur with iPhone front/back camera and tells you what to do about the camera not working.

People also read:

Tips to Fix iPhone Black Screen of Death

(opens a new window)

Webcam recorder: how to record video with webcam

(opens a new window)

Are you facing any of the issues described below? Click and access the solutions you need.

iPhone front/rear camera shows black screen

iPhone camera flash not working

iPhone freezes when switching between Front and Rear Camera

iPhone Keeps Showing 'Couldn't Take Photo' Error

iPhone rear camera not focusing

iPhone camera is blurry

iPhone front/rear camera shows black screen

You'll just take a photo and open the camera on the iPhone as usual. However, instead of capturing the target object, the camera displays a black screen. You return to the home screen and try to grab the camera again several times, but the camera screen is still black. If this sounds like the situation you are facing, follow these steps.

Step 1

.

Inspect iPhone front and back cameras

. Open an app to make a video call, such as Skype, Facetime, or Viber. Check if the front and rear cameras are working properly during the video call, if so then you are facing a software issue which can be fixed by yourself. If the camera still shows a black screen, you may need to turn to

Apple

(opens a new window)

to get help.

2nd step

.

Close Camera app on iPhone

. Pressing the home button and returning to the home screen does not close an app. To close Camera, double-tap on the Home screen until you see App Switcher, where you can see all apps running on your iPhone. Find the Camera app and swipe up to close it. Then go back to the home screen and tap the Camera app again. If the screen is still black, continue to the next step.

Step 3

.

Press and hold home button and power button

(volume down button and power button for iPhone 7/7 Plus) until the Apple logo appears. The iPhone will reboot and now you can check the camera is working now or not.

Step 4

.

Reset iPhone Settings

. Go to "Settings" > "General" > "Reset" > "Reset All Settings". This will not delete any files or apps on your iPhone, but will erase your preferred settings on apps. After the reset, open the Camera app and see if it works fine now.

Step 5

.

Factory Reset iPhone

. Go to "Settings" > "General" > "Reset" and choose "Erase All Content and Settings". This will remove all files and third-party apps on your iPhone, so this should be the last resort. To not lose any data, back up your iPhone before factory reset (if important photos

are lost after factory reset

(opens a new window)

, Recover iPhone/iPad Photos with iCloud/iTunes Backup).

iPhone camera flash not working

When taking photos in low light conditions, you may want to turn on the flashlight while shooting. However, the camera flash does not work at all or it is on before or after taking the photo. For users whose camera flash is not working, the following steps may help.

Step 1

. Test the LED flash. Swipe up to bring up the Control Center. Press the flashlight and see if the light is on. If so, the LED flash is good. If the flashlight is not on, remove the iPhone case or bumper if there is one. Then clean the flash lens to make sure there is no obstruction on the lens.

2nd step

. Open the iPhone camera, tap the flashlight icon in the upper left corner, and make sure you've pressed "On."

Step 3

. Go to "Settings" > "Privacy" > "Location Services". If the camera is allowed to access the location, tap "Never" to turn it off.

Step 4

. If you record a video with the flash on or if the iPhone gets too hot, you might get the message that the flash is off. You cannot use the camera flash until the iPhone has cooled down.

Step 5

. Restart the iPhone by holding down the power and home buttons (power and volume down button for iPhone 7/7 Plus).

iPhone freezes when switching between front and rear camera

"Anyone else having trouble switching between front and rear camera on iPhone X? Every time I switch from back to front it freezes for about 10 seconds before I can utilize."

Some people may experience iPhone X/8/7/6s/6 camera stuck issue when switching between front and rear camera as user described above. Now let's see some tips to fix iPhone camera problem below:

Go to "Settings > General > Restrictions" on your iPhone. Enable Restrictions, then make sure you have enabled “Camera” to be able to access it.

Force close the Camera app. Then run it to try again.

Restart the iPhone.

In fact, some people would consider this a system issue and Apple might fix it with a new iOS update.

iPhone keeps showing “Couldn’t take photo” error

After using iPhone for some time, you may get the error “Unable to take photo - There is not enough storage available to take a photo. You can manage your storage in "Settings" when trying to take photos with the iPhone camera. This leaves you with two options: use a third-party camera app or free up the iPhone's internal storage.

1. Take photos with a third-party app

Since you can't take photos with the default Camera app, you can use the third-party Camera app as a workaround. It can be Instagram, Snapseed, VSCO or another application with which you can take photos. This can temporarily fix the camera not working issue, but the error shows that your iPhone is running out of space. You'd better free up more space before insufficient storage influences your other activities on iPhone.

2. Free up iPhone storage

Step 1

. Tap "Settings" > "General" > "Storage & iCloud Usage" > "Manage Storage" and see which apps are taking up the most phone storage space. If you find the apps useless, uninstall them to free up space.

2nd step

. Move photos, music and videos from iPhone to computer. There must be a lot of photos, videos, or music files that you don't need right now, but might want to revisit in the future. It is best to move such type of files to your computer so that you can always have the files without the files taking up your space.

FonePaw iOS Transfer

(opens new window)

can move music,

photos from iphone to computer

(opens a new window)

in an easy way and without overwriting files on iPhone.

iPhone rear camera not focusing

Some users have reported that the rear camera is not focusing and the photos are blurry. Here are some tips for solving the problems.

Tip 1

.When taking a picture,

hold down the camera button

for a moment until the image becomes clear, then release the button. This will help the iPhone camera to focus. Other users find that

tap several times on the image

before pressing the Camera button also makes the photo clearer.

Tip 2 p>

.

Turn your iPhone off and on again

can fix software issues that cause iPhone camera not in focus.

Tip 3< /p>

. Check if the rear camera lens is scratched. If so, you may need to ask Apple Store or other repair service to replace the lens. Or before replacement, you can try to remove the scratches by wiping the lens with

toothpaste

or by rubbing the scratches in one direction with

rubber

p>

.

iPhone Camera Blur

Some people have reported that iPhone camera is blurry after an update or a drop. Not only iPhone 7/6 has the camera blurring issue, but also the new iPhone X/8. Even when you hold your iPhone firmly, the camera takes blurry photos. Now let's see how to fix iPhone 7 camera blurring issue, for example.

Clean the camera lens and make sure there is no dirt or debris on it.

Set the camera to Auto mode.

Close all third-party apps running in the background.

Reset all settings to default on your iPhone by going to “Settings > General > Reset > Reset All Settings".

Your iPhone camera should be working now. If you have any other camera issues, let us know by posting your review. Share the article with your friends via Facebook, Instagram, Google+, Twitter if you find it useful.