Android Pie brings useful under the hood improvements to various aspects of your phone. Including the new Multi-Camera API, which makes phones like the Nokia 9 PureView possible.
But there’s always the flip side of the coin. While improving camera abilities in general, Android Pie also caused camera-related issues in individual cases, as many users reported that their camera app simply stopped working after upgrading to Android 9 Pie.
If you’re one of the affected users, and assume you are, check some of the following solutions to bring your camera back to life and start using Android Pie to its full potential.
Table of contents:
- Update your phone
- Update the camera app
- Clear the camera app’s cache and data
- Check the permissions
- Use a third-party camera app temporarily
Solution 1 – Update your phone
I’m almost positive updating your phone is the only ‘solution’ you’ll need when dealing with the camera issue. There’s a known bug inside the original version of Android 9 Pie that causes the camera to stop working.
Google has already addressed this issue. So, the only reason you still can’t use the camera is that you haven’t installed the patch yet. You already know what to do, just head over to settings and update your phone to the latest version of Android Pie.
As I said, the new update should resolve all the problems, so the chances you’ll need additional workarounds are slim. Nevertheless, if the issue persists, try some of the solutions listed below.
Solution 2 – Update the camera app
The same principle applies to the camera app itself. There’s a chance the current version of your camera app isn’t fully compatible with Android Pie. If you suspect that might be the case, head over to the Play Store, find your camera app, and update it.
Solution 3 – Clear the camera app cache and data
If you’ve read any article on this site before, you probably know I dislike listing clearing the cache and data as a viable solution. But it helps sometimes, so I have to include it. Regardless of what you think of this ‘solution’, it won’t hurt to clear the camera app cache and data (if necessary). Here’s how to do that:
- Go to Settings.
- Head over to Apps or Apps Manager (depending on your phone). If you can’t find it, simply search for installed apps in the Settings search bar.
- Locate your camera app in the Apps Manager (if you can’t find it, choose Show all apps or Show system services from additional settings).
- Tap Camera and choose Clear cache. If clearing the cache doesn’t resolve the syncing problem, repeat the procedure, but this time choose Clear data. Keep in mind that you’ll lose all settings if you clear the app data.
Solution 4 – Check the permissions
If you’ve been following the recent news on Android, you probably know the major permissions adjustment comes with Android Q. However, it’s possible that Android Pie actually messed up your current permissions settings. If that’s the case, your camera app can’t access the camera hardware.
So, we will ensure all the necessary permissions have been granted to the camera app. Here’s what you need to do:
- Go to Settings.
- Search the settings app for the Permissions settings.
- Tap Camera permissions.
- Make sure the camera app is toggled on.
Bonus – Use a third-party camera app temporarily
And finally, if none of the solutions above resolved the problem, you can temporarily use a third-party camera app, until you resolve the issue. That is, until the right patch arrives through Update. According to reports, the bug mainly affects stock camera apps, so you should be good with any third-party alternative.
Sure, third-party camera apps rarely deliver the same level of quality as most stock camera apps, but you have to work with what you have. On the other hand, using a third-party camera app or port can actually improve the image quality, like it’s the case with the Pocophone F1.
That’s about it. I hope you resolved the camera problem in Android Pie after following these solutions. If you have any comments, questions or suggestions, write them down in the comments below.
