Just as you’re about to capture a perfect photo or video, your iPhone camera freezes. An unresponsive, frozen camera is incredibly frustrating. Thankfully, there are several troubleshooting steps you can take to get your iPhone camera working properly again.
In this guide, we’ll outline the most common reasons for iPhone camera freezing and provide actionable solutions to resolve the problem. Follow these 11 tips to fix an iPhone camera that keeps freezing or not working. Here’s how to fix your iPhone camera freezing:
1. Force Quit and Relaunch the Camera App
Double tap the Home button and swipe up on the Camera preview to force quit it. Then reopen the Camera app – this will clear any glitches causing the freeze.
2. Update to the Latest iOS Version
Having an outdated iOS version can cause compatibility issues and bugs that lead to camera freezing. Go to Settings > General > Software Update and install any available updates.
3. Reset All Settings
Go to Settings > General > Reset > Reset All Settings. This will restore all settings and network configurations to default without erasing data.
4. Check iPhone Storage Usage
Insufficient storage on your iPhone can cause apps to freeze or crash. Go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage and delete unused apps, photos, etc to free up space.
5. Turn Off Low Power Mode
With Low Power Mode enabled, background apps can be restricted. Go to Settings > Battery and toggle off Low Power Mode so the camera runs smoothly.
6. Restart Your iPhone
Press and quickly release the Volume Up followed by Volume Down buttons, then press and hold the Side button to restart your iPhone. This can fix minor iOS issues.
7. Update Camera App Settings
Disable processor-intensive camera features like Smart HDR, Auto HDR and High Framerate Video to reduce freezing likelihood.
8. Delete and Reinstall Camera App
As a last resort, you can delete and reinstall the Camera app through the App Store. This gives the app a fresh start, clearing any corrupted files.
9. Turn Off Auto-Lock
Go to Settings > Display & Brightness and disable Auto-Lock or increase the time interval. This prevents the camera from freezing when the screen locks.
10. Contact Apple Support
If your iPhone camera keeps freezing even after trying these steps, contact Apple Support for further troubleshooting assistance tailored to your unique issue.
11. Factory Reset iPhone
You can erase all contents and settings on your iPhone as a last resort, which will also reset all camera settings. Go to Settings > General > Reset > Erase All Content and Settings.
A frozen iPhone camera can be incredibly annoying but is usually fixable. Try force quitting the Camera app, updating iOS, resetting settings, disabling battery restrictions and camera features. With the proper troubleshooting, your iPhone camera should be working smoothly again in no time.