FP3 front camera not working

Hi,

I got a new FP3 - less than a week old and I tried to use the front camera, using the stock camera app it crashes every time I switch from rear to front camera. And WhatsApp or other means of video calling can not select the front camera? Any ideas - or is this a defective device?

Derb

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Please give this a try:

I cannot guarantee it will solve it, but it can’t do any harm either.

Other than that, have you updated your Fairphone operating system since you bought the device? The latest update is A.0111

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Hi Urs,

I’m on 8901.2.A.0111.20200131. So I did the update.
Cleared Storage and Cache and both didn’t help. Camera App is still crashing! Do I need to restart the phone?

Derb

2 Likes

A restart cannot hurt.

The only other idea I have right now is that you check if the camera module is properly connected (i.e. physically) inside the device. iFixit has illustrated written instructions (don’t go beyond step 7) and Fairphone has video tutorials explaining how to do it.

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I tried a restart - didn’t work.
I tried the Open Camera: it does just freeze.

Will now check if the module is properly connected.

Thanks,
Derb

Took it apart - the camera module seemed to be properly connected to the main board. Any other ideas? Otherwise I have to send the phone back…a non working front camera on a brand new phone is kind of a deal breaker.

Derb

I might have overlooked an important detail. So let’s get this right: You can take photos with the main camera (rear), but not with the “selfie” camera (front/display camera), correct?

If that’s what it is like, then the camera module is not the relevant one. The selfie camera is in the top module, but in that case a connection problem would also affect the primary earphone (for calls) and the secondary microphone and most sensors.

Yes, the selfie camera. I checked the ribbon cable from the top-module and not the camera module. The speaker and the 3.5 mm earphone are all working!

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OK, you should definitely contact Fairphone Support then:

https://support.fairphone.com/hc/en-us

Might take a bit longer nowadays.

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Thanks for your help, sent off the request hoping to get a fast response before the 2 weeks return period ends…

Well, as long as you get the automatic confirmation of your request, you are on the safe side. Under normal circumstances, Fairphone might offer/send you a replacement top module (without the need to send in the device). But even if you want to return it altogether, the date of the request is what counts.

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Same exact issue here… SO frustrating.

Welcome to the community forum.

If you happen to have #fairphoneangels (<- see link for info) with Fairphone 3 expertise and parts in your vicinity, perhaps a top module swap could show whether your top module is faulty.

Else, contacting support should be your best option … https://support.fairphone.com/hc/en-us.

I swapped the module and it still didn’t work. So I had to send the phone back to France, and received a new phone from the Netherlands… so better get the customer service immediately involved!

mine was a SIM card issue - solved by removing sim, restarting in safe mode. seemed to jumpstart. I do this every time it stops working.

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