How to fix camera won’t work issue on iPhone XS (camera turns black or freezing)

Today’s troubleshooting article will tell you on things that you can do if the camera on your iPhone XS has stopped working.

Before we proceed, we want to remind you that if you are looking for solutions to your own #Android issue, you can contact us by using the link provided at the bottom of this page. When describing your issue, please be as detailed as possible so we can easily pinpoint a relevant solution. If you can, kindly include the exact error messages you are getting to give us an idea where to start. If you have already tried some troubleshooting steps before emailing us, make sure to mention them so we can skip them in our answers.

Problem: iPhone XS camera won’t work

My camera doesn’t work. I’ve paid a large amount of money for my phone and maybe I should have rather upgraded to a Samsung Note 9! Less hassle! I decided to be loyal but look where it’s get me and I need my camera function for my work!

Solution: We don’t know what particular camera issue you’re having but we assume it’s either turning black when you use the stock camera app or when an app tries to use the camera itself. Whatever it is, any of solutions below should help.

Forced reboot

The first troubleshooting step that you want to do is to refresh the system. You can do that by simulating the effect of disconnecting the battery. This process is called forced reboot and it’s useful in fixing minor bugs. This is how it’s done:

1. Press and hold the Side/Power button and either Volume buttons simultaneously for a few seconds.
2. Release the buttons when the Slide to Power Off command appears and then drag the power off slider to the right.
3. After 30 seconds, press and hold the Power/Side button again until the phone reboots.

Know what app is affected

If refreshing the system with forced reboot won’t help, the next good thing to do is identify which of your apps is having an issue. Are you having an issue only when using FaceTime, the camera app, or any third party app? Once you’ve locked down the range of the problem, you can then continue troubleshooting the bug by dealing with each app, if necessary.

Force close problem app

Once you’ve identified the apps with a camera problem, the next step is to see to it that you refresh each of them (if there are more than one). If the problem is caused by a simple, temporary bug, force quitting the said app may help.

To force quit an app:

1. From the Home screen, swipe your finger up and then pause.
2. Swipe right or left to navigate through apps preview.
3. Then swipe up on the Safari app preview to end it. Do the same to the rest of the app previews you see.

Reset all settings

Should nothing work after force quitting apps, the next troubleshooting step should be to revert all settings. Doing so will ensure that all system settings are returned to their defaults.

1. From the Home screen, tap on Settings.
2. Tap General.
3. Scroll down to and tap Reset.
4. Select the option to Reset all settings.
5. If prompted, enter your device passcode.
6. Then tap the option to confirm all settings reset.

Install updates

Sometimes, iPhone bugs are only fixed by changing inefficient codes. Known or reported bugs are usually fixed by installing updates so be sure not to skip updates when they become available. App problems may also occur at times if they become outdated. Install updates for both iOS and apps if possible.

Factory reset

If the problem remains at this stage, you need to do a more drastic troubleshooting step by wiping the device. Be sure to back all of you data (photos, videos, documents, contacts, etc) ahead of time.

To factory reset your iPhone XS:

1. Tap to open the Settings app from Home.
2. Tap on General.
3. Scroll down to and then tap on Reset.
4. Select the option to Erase all content and settings. This will master reset your iPhone XS Max.
5. If prompted, enter your device passcode to continue.
6. Then tap the option to confirm factory reset.
7. Set the phone as a new device and check for the problem.

DFU Mode Restore

At other times, the only way to fix a problem with the camera app is by restoring the device thru DFU Mode. Here’s how to do it:

1. Connect your iPhone 8 to your computer using the USB or Lightning cable that comes with it.
2. Open iTunes on your computer.
3. Turn off your iPhone 8 as you normally do. In iOS 11, you can turn off your iPhone by going to Settings-> General-> Shut Down menu-> then toggle the slider to the right. Doing so turns off the iPhone.
4. Press and hold the Side button (Power button) for 3 seconds. Then, press and hold the Volume Down button  while still holding down the Side button. Keep holding both buttons for 10 seconds.
   • If the Apple logo appears, it means that you have held the buttons for too long. If this happens, you need to go back from the very start. Otherwise, skip to the next step.
5. Release the Side button but keep holding down the Volume Down button for about 5 seconds more.
   • If you are prompted with the Plug into iTunes screen, it means that you have entered Recovery Mode instead. So you’ll need to go back to the very first step and make sure you’re not holding the buttons for so long.
   • If your iPhone 8 screen remains black, that means your device has successfully entered DFU mode. iTunes will then prompt you with an alert message saying that it has detected your iPhone and will allow it to be restored. Follow the onscreen instructions to restore your iPhone 8 in iTunes.

Contact Apple

If the issue continues after you’ve exhausted all software troubleshooting steps as mentioned above, you should get professional help from Apple. The most likely reason must be beyond your ability to fix so letting Apple handle the situation is a wise choice.