FP3 - Camera does not work / Camera is not working

Got my fp3 last week. Now, the camera isn’t work for no reason. Had already checked the access of the camera. Neither the camera app nor the whatsapp camera work and also no video can be done. Do have anyone of you an idea ?

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You could try to remount the camera module and reboot the device. Does it happen only with the rear, selfie camera or with both? What can you see in the camera app. Can you see feed from the camera ? or just black and the settings?

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The support tool for the FP3 gives the following advice:

Camera cannot connect

If your camera cannot connect or if you see an error message stating “Camera cannot connect” or similar when trying to take pictures, try the following:

STEP 1: Wipe Cache and Data partition

  1. Go to Settings > Apps & notifications > Camera > Storage > Clear cache and clear storage. Keep in mind that clearing all the app data will clear all your camera settings. It will NOT delete your photos and videos but we always recommend to backup your phone, just in case.
  2. Test the camera app again

STEP 2: Reboot into safe mode and test the default camera app

  1. Press & hold the Power button
  2. A pop-up opens with the options Power off, Reboot and Airplane mode
  3. In this pop-up, touch and hold Power off for a few seconds
  4. You’ll see a “Reboot to safe mode” pop-up. Tap OK
  5. Your device will start in safe mode. You’ll see the words “Safe mode” in a text field at the bottom
  6. Open and test the camera app again
  7. Test the camera app again

If that does not help, advice is to use a third party camera app.
I am not sure, if the whatsapp camera is such a third party camera or if whatsapp is using the standard camera?
You might try the “Open Camera App”.

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Hi Wolfgang,

what version of the Fairphone OS are you on? Does this issue affect both cameras or just the back or front facing one? Have you tried to restart your phone?

Also, you might want to check if the camera app and Whatsapp have the permission to use the camera. You can do that under Settings > Apps and notifications > See all xxx apps > Camera / Whatsapp > Permissions.

Good luck,
Thomas

Check if your phone runs Android 9 or 10. Maybe you bought the FP3 (and not the current FP3+) model and your phone already features the new camera module that does not work with Android 9. If this is the case, upgrade to 10, and it should work.

Do you installed the SD-Card as internal storage or external? My cam dosn’t work with installed the SD-Card AS internal storage. This ist a bug in Android 10.

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It is strongly advised to not set up an SD as internal storage. There are numerous threads about this topic already.

Best,
Thomas

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You’re right, but if I buyed my FP3, I don’t search for Bugs in Android 10 at frist. The SD-Card works fine in my Moto Z3 Play with Android 9 as internal storage…

I just edited the thread title, to make it more concise, correct an error and make it easier to be found when searching.

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thanks to all of you. I did a complete reset and it works now. I still have no idea what was went wrong. One additional info: I was using the sd cart as extended storage and nevertheless it works.

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I have a fairphone 3 and my issue was that my phone rebooted frequently in a random way especially when using flash. The solution you gave worked perfectly. Thanks a lot!! :smile:

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