8 Ways to Fix an iPhone Front Camera When It's Not Working

PDF download Download Article
Quick ways to troubleshoot your front camera on an iPhone
PDF download Download Article

Is your iPhone's front camera showing a black screen? If you can't take any photos or start the Camera app at all, there are a few fixes you can try. Here's how to fix your iPhone front camera when it's not working.

Things You Should Know

  • Your iPhone's front camera may not work if your software is outdated, your storage is full, or you have changed some accessibility settings.
  • Force-close and open the Camera app to restart it, or switch between front and back camera view.
  • Restart your iPhone , free up some storage, update your iPhone , or reset all settings.
1

Restart the Camera app.

PDF download Download Article
  1. If you have a Home button, double-click it. If you don't have a Home button, swipe up from the bottom of the screen. Swipe up on the Camera app to close it, and then open it again. [1]
    2. Advertisement
2

Switch the Camera view.

PDF download Download Article
  1. Switch to selfie mode, and then switch back. Changing the camera mode from back-facing to front-facing to back-facing again may get it to work again.
    • To change the camera, tap the overlapping circle icon in the bottom-right corner of the screen. On older iOS versions, this icon may be in the top-right corner instead.
3

Restart your iPhone.

PDF download Download Article
  1. A quick restart can fix common issues. [2] Do the following:
    • On iPhones without a Home button, press and hold the Power and Volume Up buttons until the Power slider appears.
      • On iPhones with a Home button, press and hold the side button until the slider appears.
    • Slide the slider with your finger and wait for your iPhone to turn off.
    • Wait 30 seconds, and then turn it back on.
    2. Advertisement
4

Clear up storage space.

PDF download Download Article
  1. If you can't get the camera to work, it may lock itself due to lack of storage space. You can use a cloud service such as iCloud or Google Drive to transfer and save photos off your device. To check your current storage information, do the following: [3]
    • Go to Settings .
    • Tap General .
    • Tap iPhone Storage .
5

Update your iPhone.

PDF download Download Article
  1. Similar to when your iPhone blinks, flickers , or keeps refocusing , you may be due for a software update . Do the following: [4]
    • Go to Settings .
    • Tap General .
    • Tap Software Update .
    • Tap Download and Install .
    2. Advertisement
6

Disable VoiceOver.

PDF download Download Article
  1. If you have this accessibility feature turned on, it may make the camera go black. To disable it, do the following: [5]
    • Go to Settings .
    • Tap Accessibility .
    • Tap VoiceOver .
    • Toggle off VoiceOver .
7

Reset All Settings.

PDF download Download Article
  1. This includes network settings, privacy settings, location settings, and more. You can do this without erasing your data, but be sure to backup your iPhone just in case. [6] Do the following:
    • Go to Settings .
    • Tap General .
    • Tap Transfer or Reset iPhone .
    • Tap Reset .
    • Tap Reset All Settings .
    2. Advertisement
8

Contact Apple.

PDF download Download Article
  1. Contact Apple for help. This may be a hardware issue, and you may still be covered by Apple's warranty. [7]

Expert Q&A

Ask a Question
200 characters left
Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.
Submit
      Advertisement

      Video

      Tips

      Submit a Tip
      All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published
      Name
      Please provide your name and last initial
      Submit
      Thanks for submitting a tip for review!

      You Might Also Like

      How to
      Get Past the Activation Lock on an iPhone or iPad without the Seller
      8 Easy Fixes for iPhone Messages that Won't Finish Indexing
      How to
      Automatically Forward Text Messages to Another Phone
      How to
      Bypass Your Screen Time Passcode: Reset, Remove, or Hack Screen Time
      10 Simple Ways to Fix an iPhone or Android That Won’t Send Pictures
      2 Ways to Factory Reset iPhone Without Apple ID Password
      4 Ways to Find Your Lost iPhone When It’s Offline or Dead
      How to
      Hard Reset an iPhone
      How to
      Fix "Notifications Silenced" on iPhone Messages
      How to
      Use the iPhone Hidden Album to Hide Private Photos
      Apple ID Sign Out Unavailable? Here's How to Fix It
      Malware on iPhone: Signs of Infection & How to Get Rid of It
      How to
      Fix the “iPhone Unavailable” Message: Explanation and Fixes
      Turn Off Location Sharing on an iPhone Without Anyone Knowing
      Advertisement

      References

      1. ↑ https://macpaw.com/how-to/iphone-camera-not-working
      2. ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/102514
      3. ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/108429
      4. ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/118575
      5. ↑ https://macpaw.com/how-to/iphone-camera-not-working
      6. ↑ https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/return-iphone-settings-to-their-defaults-iphea1c2fe48/ios
      7. ↑ https://www.apple.com/contact/

      About This Article

      In other languages
      Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 61,103 times.

      Is this article up to date?

      Advertisement