How to Repair Your Mobile Camera If It's Showing a Black Screen

Have you ever been ecstatic to take a picture with your phone but found nothing but a black display from the camera? A mobile camera showing a black screen can be a result of many reasons; there are ways to solve the issue.

In this blog, we will take you through some simple steps to get the black screen off your mobile camera. Students who are interested in mobile repair, we will also touch upon how a mobile repairing course can help you in understanding repairs of common problems like this one.

Understanding the Mobile Camera Black Screen Issue

Before taking a look at the solutions, we should take a look at the reasons your mobile camera could be displaying a black screen. Here are a couple of possible explanations:

• Software Glitch: Sometimes, a software glitch on your phone can crash the camera app and provide you with a blank black screen.
• Camera Hardware Issue: The camera's sensor or the lens may have suffered physical damage.
• Outdated software: Older versions of your phone's software might malfunction the camera.
• Camera App Error: There might be a bug in the camera app, which will not function properly and could show a black screen.
• Corrupted Cache Files: You can improve the app speeds by storing temporary files on your smartphone. Corruption of these files can lead to a scenario where the camera app is unable to function.

Steps to Fix Your Mobile Camera Showing a Black Screen Problem

Step 1: Restart Your Phone

It is often said that the simplest solution is the best. If your camera is stuck in black mode, there might be a temporary glitch in the phone software. Restarting the phone should help clear out any temporary bugs causing the problem.

Here is how you can restart your phone:

• For Android: Hold down the power button, and at the “Restart” prompt, tap it.
• For iPhone: Press and hold down the side button and either the volume up or down button, then slide to turn off. Then, after the phone has been powered off, press and hold once more the side button to power it back on.

After rebooting, try again to open the camera app and see if the same problem exists.

Step 2: Close the Camera App and Reopen It

In case a restart does not resolve the issue, you may attempt to close the camera app completely and reopen it. Oftentimes, apps run into problems after prolonged being kept open. Closing and reopening it goes the extra mile to refresh the app.

To do this:

• For Android: Then swipe the panel up to bring out your Camera icon and swipe it off the screen. Go to the app switcher by swiping up from the bottom or press the Recent Apps button and just swipe the Camera app off the screen.
• For iPhone: Swipe up from the bottom of the screen and pause in the middle to show your recently used apps. Then swipe up on the camera app to close it.

Close the app and check whether the black screen goes away by touching the camera icon again to open it once again.

Step 3: Check for Software Updates

When the camera might suddenly show a black screen, your phone's software could be outdated. Often, updating the firmware might correct a camera that has been throwing bugs or started glitching.

Here’s how to check for software updates:

• For Android: Go to Settings > Software Update > Download and Install.
• For iPhone: Go to Settings > General > Software Update.

If there is an available update, please install it and check if the camera comes back on.

Step 4: Check the Camera Lens for Obstructions

Sometimes it presents that there could be some dirt or a smudge on the camera lens. A lens that is dirty will not allow the camera to show an image clearly. So clean it softly with a cloth, be careful not to scratch the lens!

Step 5: Test the Camera in Safe Mode

The above mentioned steps fixed the issues, and it still doesn't function any further; this can indicate a third-party app that blocks the functioning of your camera. One way to check this is to boot the phone into Safe Mode. In Safe Mode, all third-party apps will not function, so we can tell whether the camera works.

Follow these steps to enter Safe Mode.

• For Android: Press and hold the power button until you see Power Off options, then tap and hold Power Off until the Reboot to Safe Mode option shows up. Tap OK.
• For iPhone: Unfortunately, no Safe Mode exists for iPhones. Alternatively, if possible, check if the camera works when using a new account or afterward resetting the phone to factory settings.

To open your camera application in Safe Mode. If it is operational in Safe Mode, then it is likely third-party app interference. You will need to identify which app is preventing it from functioning well by uninstalling apps individually.

Step 6: Reset Your Phone’s Settings

If every other option has failed, you may give the following resolution a shot Reset settings on your phone. Doing this will not erase any of your data but will set up your preferred phone settings to their defaults, perhaps correcting any software problem affecting your camera.

To reset settings on your phone:

• For Android: Go to Settings > System > Reset Options > Reset All Settings.
• For iPhone: Go to Settings > General > Reset > Reset All Settings.

Once you have reset the settings, see if the camera works.

Step 7: Seek Professional Help

In case you have tried every step and yet the black screen persists, then it will be a hardware problem. This implies that either the camera lens is damaged, or the sensor is damaged, or maybe there is an internal fault in the phone's motherboard. Then for solving this kind of problems you should definitely visit to professionals.

Conclusion

Fixing a mobile phone camera showing a black screen could be anything from rebooting your phone to a very complex fixing of internal hardware. But following the steps mentioned above should solve most of the common possible reasons for this issue.

In case none of this works, seek professional help, especially if you are interested in building your career in mobile repairs. Consider joining a mobile repairing course at Akinfo Institute and develop the necessary skills to solve phone repair cases like a pro.

Frequently Asked Questions