WhatsApp is quite popular and is one of the most used platforms for free messages, voice, and video calls. All it would be costing the user is the data cost. Occasionally, you may try to use the WhatsApp camera to take a picture or video, or video call, and find out that you have a WhatsApp camera not working problem.
Sometimes, another application might be interfering with the camera features, and the result is the Whatsapp camera is not working due to the conflict. You could get an error message saying “camera failed” or “can’t start camera” when you try to take a picture or video with the WhatsApp camera.
In another scenario when you tap the camera icon, the flashlight may come up, but the result would be a black screen image or a green screen. In other words, the camera is not capturing any object. For some other people, it is the Whatsapp front camera not working or the WhatsApp video call camera not working. No need to worry. It is a temporary issue that can be fixed in no time.
Restart the phone
Sometimes, the Camera failed in your WhatsApp is due to some other hanging applications disrupting it. Often, a simple phone restart will fix this.
- Close all applications.
- Press down the Power button and select Shutdown After two minutes, Power on the phone.
- Reopen the WhatsApp and use the camera
If you are still facing a camera problem while using WhatsApp, try out the next solution.
Modify WhatsApp permissions to allow Camera
If restarting the phone does not fix the issue, you might have denied WhatsApp access to your camera. When you install any application, it is up to you to grant the app access to other settings on your phone like Contacts, microphones, Cameras, etc. If you have mistakenly denied WhatsApp access to your camera, you have to modify that permission.
- Launch Settings
- Navigate to Apps and Notifications
- Select WhatsApp> Click Permissions
- Ensure that the Camera permission is Allowed. If it is Denied, tap and change it to Allowed.
- If it was already on allowed, turn it off and back on.
- Congratulations, the Whatsapp camera problem is now fixed.
Update your WhatsApp
Sometimes, the WhatsApp camera may not work for video calls if it is not up to date. If the Whatsapp camera is still not working after the first two solutions, check if it is up to date.
- Go to Playstore
- Search for WhatsApp
- When you click on WhatsApp, check for an Update button under it
- Click on it to update your WhatsApp
- After updating, click Open and tap on the Camera
Clear Cache
Another solution you can try out to resolve this temporary issue is to clear the WhatsApp cache. This is particular to android devices, and it does not affect any personal data on your device.
- Launch Settings
- Navigate to Apps and Notifications
- Select WhatsApp> Select Storage & Cache
- Click on Clear Cache
- After this, restart your phone before launching WhatsApp
You can also access this from your home screen by long-pressing the WhatsApp icon. Select Application details and then click Clear Cache.
Reset WhatsApp Messenger
A simple reset means clearing WhatsApp data and bringing the app back to default settings and configurations.
- Launch Settings
- Navigate to Apps and Notifications
- Select WhatsApp> Tap Storage & Cache
- Click Clear data and click OK to confirm
You can also long-press the Whatsapp icon and select application details to access this feature. If this does not fix the problem, move on to the next solution.
Uninstall and Reinstall WhatsApp Application
Some users who had the Whatsapp camera not working problem have reported that it got fixed after they reinstalled the application. Ensure that you back your chats up before you do this. To back your chats up;
- Open WhatsApp on your Phone.
- Tap the three vertical dots on the top right of the screen.
- Select Settings > Click on Chats> Select Chat Backup > Click Backup
- Give it some minutes to complete the backup process.
After completing the backup, you can uninstall the application without fear of losing your old chats.
- Launch Settings
- Navigate to Apps and Notifications
- Select WhatsApp> Click uninstall
- After it completes uninstalling, you can switch off the phone for a couple of minutes
- After you switch it on, go to Playstore
- Search for WhatsApp and click install
- After installing, open the app using your existing account
- The Whatsapp camera not working has been fixed now. You can use the camera.
Do a Factory reset
The solutions listed above should help fix app-related issues or bugs when the Camera fails in Whatsapp. You can also check your phone camera to be sure that it is working fine as well. If none of them works, a factory reset could be the last resort. It should be the last option you consider.
A factory reset will fix both software problems connected to Whatsapp messenger, and the Camera. However, it will delete personal information and data. Create a copy of important files before doing a factory reset.
Note: A factory reset will wipe out the data on your phone so you should back up the data firstly.
- Launch Settings
- Click on Systems> Navigate to Reset options and select it
- Select Factory Reset> confirm by clicking Erase all data
- For some phones, Navigate to General management under Settings
- Click Reset> Tap Factory data reset > At the bottom of the screen, tap Reset.
- If prompted, enter your PIN, Password, or Pattern.
- Tap Delete all.
Now, you have to sign in to all your accounts in different applications, including WhatsApp. The reset should address the WhatsApp camera not working issue, no matter the cause of the bug.
Conclusion
I hope one or two of the steps listed above have helped solved the WhatsApp camera not working issue. They are all easy steps, and you usually will not need to take your phone to any technician to fix it. If all of these steps still do not fix the problem for you, you may need to send a support message to the manufacturer.
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