iPhone Camera Black Or Not Working? Here’s The Real Fix.

The iPhone’s camera is one of its most important features. You can take wide panoramas, beautiful portraits, movie-quality videos, and more. When the camera won’t work, you lose one of the your iPhone’s key features. In this article, I’ll explain how to fix the problem when your iPhone camera is not working or black!

Is My iPhone Camera Broken?

At this point, we don’t know whether your camera problem is being caused by an issue with the software or the hardware on your iPhone. However, contrary to common belief, there are plenty of software issues that could be causing the problem. A software crash, outdated iOS, or a faulty app could be the reason why your iPhone camera is not working or appears to be black!

The steps below will help you diagnose and fix the real reason why your iPhone camera isn’t working. We’ll start by cleaning off the camera and addressing smaller software issues. If those steps don’t work, we’ll show you how to perform some deeper software fixes, or where you can get hardware repairs if you need them.

Check Your iPhone Case

One time I was at a party and a friend asked me to take a picture of her. To my surprise, all the pictures came out black. She took her phone back and thought I had done something wrong.

As it turned out, she had put her iPhone case on upside down! Her case was blocking the camera on her iPhone, causing all the pictures she took to turn out black. This is a pretty common mishap for iPhone users, so make sure your iPhone case is on correctly.

Clean Off The Camera Lens

If your case is on properly, it’s possible dirt or debris may be obstructing the lens and blacking out your iPhone’s camera. It’s easy for gunk or lint to accumulate on a camera lens, especially if you keep your iPhone in your pocket most of the day.

Gently wipe off your camera lens with a microfiber cloth to make sure there’s nothing stuck to it!

wipe iPhone with microfiber cloth

Close Every App On Your iPhone

A lot of iPhone software problems can occur when an app crashes. If the Camera app — or another app — crashed in the background of your iPhone, it could be the reason your camera’s not working. If an app has crashed on your iPhone, closing it might get rid of the error!

First, you’ll want to open the App Switcher. To do this, double tap the Home button (iPhones without Face ID), or swipe up from the bottom of your screen (iPhones with Face ID).

Once the app switcher is open, use your finger to swipe your apps up and off the top of the screen. You’ll know your apps are closed when they no longer appear in the App Switcher.

close safari on iphone

Now that you’ve closed all your apps, reopen the Camera app to see if it’s working again. If it’s still black or not working, move on to the next step!

Restart Your iPhone

Restarting your iPhone will give all your apps the opportunity to shut down and get a fresh start. Sometimes, this can fix a minor software glitch making your iPhone camera malfunction.

If you have an iPhone without Face ID, press and hold the power button until Slide To Power Off appears. If you have an iPhone with Face ID, press and hold the side button and either volume button simultaneously until you see Slide To Power Off.

Once you see the power slider, swipe the red and white power icon from left to right to shut your iPhone down. Wait a few moments, then press the power button (iPhones without Face ID) or the side button (iPhones with Face ID) to turn your iPhone on again.

turn off your iphone

Update Your iPhone

The Camera app is a native iPhone app, which means it can only be updated by an iOS update. Apple releases new updates to introduce new features and resolve known bugs, one of which may be causing the problem with your camera!

Open Settings and tap General -> Software Update. Tap Download and Install or Install Now if an iOS update is available.

update to ios 14.4

Troubleshooting Third-Party Camera Apps

Native iPhone apps are usually pretty reliable. Third-party apps, especially apps from smaller developers, are generally more susceptible to bugs and crashes. If you’ve noticed that the iPhone camera is not working when you use a third-party camera app, that app may be causing the problem.

While we recommend using the built-in Camera app, there a couple things you can try if you want to keep using your third-party camera app instead.

First, check for an app update. It’s possible you’re using an outdated version of the app, which might be more prone to software crashes. Open the App Store and tap on your account icon in upper right-hand corner of the screen. Scroll down to find the list of your apps with available updates. If you see your third-party camera app in that list, tap Update to its right.

check for updates to apps

If that doesn’t work, try deleting and reinstalling the app. To uninstall an iPhone app, go to your Home screen and press and hold the app’s icon until a drop-down menu appears. Tap Remove App -> Delete App -> Delete to uninstall it from your iPhone.

delete whatsapp on iphone

Now that the app has been uninstalled, open the App Store and tap the Search tab at the bottom of the screen. Type in the name of your third-party camera app, then tap the installation button (it looks like a little blue cloud icon) to reinstall it.

If the third-party app continues to cause camera malfunctions, try finding a different app or using the native Camera app instead.

Back Up Your iPhone

Before continuing any further, we strongly recommend backing up your iPhone. This is a quick and easy step that ensures all your personal information is safely stored and can be retrieved at any time.

There are three different ways to back up your iPhone.

Back Up Your iPhone With iCloud

If you’re connected to Wi-Fi and don’t want to plug your iPhone into a computer, you can save a backup to iCloud!

  1. Open Settings.
  2. Tap on your name at the top of the screen.
  3. Tap iCloud.
  4. Tap iCloud Backup.
  5. Make sure the switch next to iCloud Backup is on. You’ll know the switch is on when it’s green and flipped to the right.
  6. Tap Back Up Now.

From there, a status bar will appear to tell you how much time is remaining. When the status bar is full, the backup is complete!

Back Up Your iPhone To iTunes

If you would like to back up your iPhone to a Windows computer or a Mac running macOS Mojave 10.14 or earlier, you can do so using iTunes.

  1. Plug your iPhone into your computer using a Lightning cable.
  2. Open iTunes on your computer.
  3. Click on the iPhone icon near the upper left-hand corner of iTunes.
  4. Click the circle next to This Computer.
  5. Click Back Up Now.

When the backup is complete, you should see the current date and time listed under Latest Backup in the iTunes window.

Back Up Your iPhone To Finder

If you want to back up your iPhone to a Mac running macOS Catalina 10.15 or later, you can use Finder instead of iTunes.

  1. Connect your iPhone to your Mac using a Lightning cable.
  2. Open Finder.
  3. Click on your iPhone under Locations on the left side of the Finder window.
  4. Click the circle next to Back Up All Of The Data On Your iPhone To This Mac.
  5. Click Back Up Now.

Just like with iTunes, you should see the current time and date under Latest Backup when the process is complete.

Reset All Settings

If the camera on your iPhone still appears black or isn’t working at all, there may be a deeper software issue causing the problem.

Reset All Settings erases everything in the Settings app and restores it to factory defaults. When you perform this reset, your saved Wi-Fi passwords will be erased, your Bluetooth devices will be disconnected, and your iPhone’s wallpaper will return to its default.

Open Settings, then tap General -> Transfer or Reset iPhone -> Reset -> Reset All Settings. Enter your iPhone passcode, if you have one. Then, confirm the reset by tapping Reset All Settings again.

reset all settings ios 15

Put Your iPhone In DFU Mode

A DFU restore is the most in-depth restore you can perform on an iPhone. DFU stands for Device Firmware Update. Completing this restore will erase all your personal content and settings, and revert your iPhone to its factory defaults. When the restore is finished, it will be like you’ve just taken your iPhone out of the box for the very first time.

Before putting your iPhone in DFU mode, make sure you’ve saved a backup. Once you’ve backed up your iPhone, check out our in-depth article on how to put your iPhone in DFU mode.

Repair Options

If none of our software troubleshooting steps fixed the camera on your iPhone, you may need to get it repaired. If your iPhone is still covered under warranty, take it to your local Apple Store to see if they can fix the problem for you. Before you head to the Apple Store, make an appointment with the Genius Bar to avoid any long waits.

Don’t have an Apple Store nearby? Apple also provides support online, over the phone, and through the mail!

Back In Action!

Hopefully, your camera is now working again and you can get back to taking awesome selfies. Next time your iPhone camera is not working or appears completely black, you’ll know how to fix the problem! Make sure to share this article on social media, or leave us a comment below if you have other questions about your iPhone camera.

About Author

David Lynch is an expert on cell phones, cell phone plans, and other tech. After using a flip phone into his early 20s, he learned the ropes about iPhones and Androids from a former Apple employee. Today, his articles and videos are read and viewed by millions, and he has been cited by major publications including Reader's Digest, Wired, CMSWire, Consumers Advocate, and more.

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Damilola
9 months ago

I have tried this and it is still the same thing for me

George
1 year ago

Also if 15.6 doesn’t fix these issues take a sledgehammer to the Apple product and go Android !

George
1 year ago

Updating to 15.5 killed off my camera, rear black not working. There is absolutely no fix for this, it’s a bug in the Apple software. Toggling Flashlight, voiceover even reset will do nothing. It’s a shame Apple built in Apps cant be deleted and restored. All anyone can do is wait for 15.6 and hope it fixes the problem.

Summer
1 year ago
Reply to  George

Same!!! I had zero issues until the update!

ray
2 years ago

i was able to get mine to work again by backing up all my photos on an external device and completely clearing my iCloud of photos!

Bill
2 years ago

I was looking for why the pictures I take are in B/W. New iPhone 13. Turns out the camera filter settings were all to the right, B/W.

Dave Squared – I love your very informative videos! Thank you!

PeterB
2 years ago

You left one out that I discovered by accident (and frustration): “Hey Siri, open my camera!” Bingo!

stella
2 years ago
Reply to  PeterB

OMG this actually worked, thank you

Adison
3 years ago

My front camera is black and none of this worked!PLEASE HELP!

Lobo
3 years ago

I’ve had this problem suddenly for two days now. I’ve learned that i can ‘see’ through the rear lens if I set it to 2x in the camera app but still can’t take pictures. I wonder if it has to do with the new OS 14.1. Getting ready to reset the phone to factory settings… 🙁

Justine
3 years ago
Reply to  Lobo

Did you end up fixing it? Having the same issue…

L J
3 years ago

Same issue, I’ve tried everything except for a total reset. No luck

Taylor
3 years ago

Nothing has helped nothing I’ve seen my camera won’t only not work on the app but on any other app that involves a camer ai have reset my phone I have updated it and nothings working

grace
3 years ago
Reply to  Taylor

did you end up figuring it out my phones the same

Eddie
3 years ago

Last iPhone OS13 froze up my iphone8 rear camera. Tried everything here except for resetting. Found another website suggesting airplane mode in/off and that cleared whatever was freezing up the rear camera.

Margaret S. Hewitt
4 years ago

David, my iPhone camera seizes and then turns black for forward photos, but can still take selfies. I don’t really want to erase all of my settings and lose my bluetooth…what are my options?

Karis
3 years ago

Mine is doing the same thing, can only take pics with the front camera. Did you ever get your fixed?

sandy
3 years ago

my exact problem

Ivy
3 years ago
Reply to  sandy

this is my problem too

Ala'
3 years ago
Reply to  Ivy

my problem too.

Jacob menjivar
3 years ago

11/13/20 I started having this same issue. I thought it was because my iCloud storage was FuLL, so I deleted a lot of videos and now it turns out its not. I’ve done all the resets and nothing works. if we are all experiencing this around the same time them this has to be apples way of pushing us to get the new iPhone 12. it works in their favor with the camera not functioning so that way the trade in value is at zero

Adam
3 years ago
Reply to  Jacob menjivar

here too. just started recently

Mary Golding
3 years ago
Reply to  Adam

Mine has same problem uust started about 3 weeks ago out if the blue! Can still take selfies, more than frustrating!

Kathy Kuzma
4 years ago

My camera is half black when I try to take a selfie. How do I fix this?

john
3 years ago
Reply to  Kathy Kuzma

did u fix?