Even though Samsung Galaxy S10 smartphones are top-of-the-range devices, sporting many new and exciting features such as the in-display fingerprint sensor, they are not free of problems, be them minor ones, though. While some users complain that a battery draining issue is affecting them, others complain about a camera error. It seems that a “camera failed” error on Samsung Galaxy S10, S10 Plus, and S10E is indeed annoying some of the users.

In case your new Galaxy S10 smartphone suffered some physical damage, the cause for the camera failure is evident. However, if your device is okay in terms of hardware, then the “camera failed” error could be triggered by a software-related bug or a random glitch.

In either case, there are some straightforward solutions to fix camera failed error on Samsung Galaxy S10, S10E, and S10 Plus, and in the following sections, we’ll show you how to troubleshoot this problem.

How To Fix “Camera Failed” Error On Samsung Galaxy S10, S10 Plus, and S10E

Close the apps that usually use the camera

Some applications that run in the background might be using the camera, even though you’re not actually using those apps. Commonly, Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, and other instant messaging or chat applications might trigger a “camera failed” error.

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That happens because the main camera software (the camera app) is not able to access the sensor so that it will return a “camera failed” message.

Force restart your Samsung Galaxy S10 smartphone

The “camera failed” message might also pop up due to a software-related glitch. In that case, you can force reset your Galaxy S10 device and see if the problem is gone.

To force restart your Samsung Galaxy S10, S10 Plus, or S10E you have to press and hold Volume Down key and the Power button. Once the device reboots, check the camera app and see if it works.

Try using the camera in Safe Mode

As I’ve already mentioned above, sometimes, to fix “camera failed” error on Samsung Galaxy S10, S10 Plus, and S10E, we’ll have to shut down all the applications that might use the camera hardware. However, some third-party applications might also cause that problem. To check out if an app is behind the “camera failed” error, you should try the camera app in Safe Mode.

Follow the next steps to force your Samsung Galaxy S10, S10 Plus, or S10E to enter Safe Mode:

  • Shut down your Galaxy S10 smartphone
  • Hold the Power button key and release it when the SAMSUNG logo appears on the display
  • Right afterward, press and hold the Volume Down button
  • Hold the Volume Down button until the device boots up, and the Safe Mode text appears in the bottom left corner

Now, that you forced your device to enter Safe Mode, try opening the camera software and see if it works. If the camera app opens up as usual, then a third-party app might be the culprit for the “camera failed” error. Now, you might entirely solve out the problem if you restart your smartphone as usual. But if the issue is not gone, try finding out which third-party app is the culprit and uninstall it.

Hard reset your device

In case all the before-mentioned solutions failed, the last resort to fix “camera failed” error on Samsung Galaxy S10, S10 Plus, and S10E is to “hard reset” your device.

Here are the steps you have to perform to conduct a factory reset on Samsung Galaxy S10 models:

  • Shut down your device
  • Press and hold the Volume Up button and the Bixby button for a couple of seconds, then press and hold the Power key without releasing the first two
  • Once the green Android logo appears on screen, release the buttons to allow the system to enter the Android system recovery menu
  • Using Volume buttons to browse the list, go to “Wipe data/ Factory reset,” and select the option with the Power key
  • Confirm the selection until Android starts rebooting
  • Once that’s done, the “Reboot System Now” message should pop up
  • Select to restart your device

When your smartphone reboots, try the camera app. If it’s working again, job done! If not, the issue might be faulty hardware or a more severe firmware glitch that causes the “camera failed” error on Samsung Galaxy S10, S10 Plus, and S10E.