HTC One X "Camera unable to start" Error Message

[AzAssassin]

I just picked up a used HTC One X last week for $100 and the person I bought it from mentioned that the camera had been having problems. When I tried to open the Camera app on the phone, it would start to open the app and get to the point where the phone would display what the camera was pointing on, but the display is black and the app shuts down and displays an error message that reads: "Camera unable to start." Now, after just trying to check the camera app again while posting this, the app still shuts down, but it no longer displays an error message.

This phone has Android version 4.1.1 and HTC Sense version 4+.

After doing some Google searching, it seems as though this is a fairly common problem with this phone; however, I can not find any sort of resolution for it. I have done a factory reset on the phone and tried a different camera app from the GooglePlay store. nothing seems to resolve the issue. So, I am hoping that someone may be able to offer some helpful information, advice or suggestions about this issue. Thanks in adavnce to anyone who replies!

 

[wizzrah]

I just picked up a used HTC One X last week for $100 and the person I bought it from mentioned that the camera had been having problems. When I tried to open the Camera app on the phone, it would start to open the app and get to the point where the phone would display what the camera was pointing on, but the display is black and the app shuts down and displays an error message that reads: "Camera unable to start." Now, after just trying to check the camera app again while posting this, the app still shuts down, but it no longer displays an error message.

This phone has Android version 4.1.1 and HTC Sense version 4+.

After doing some Google searching, it seems as though this is a fairly common problem with this phone; however, I can not find any sort of resolution for it. I have done a factory reset on the phone and tried a different camera app from the GooglePlay store. nothing seems to resolve the issue. So, I am hoping that someone may be able to offer some helpful information, advice or suggestions about this issue. Thanks in adavnce to anyone who replies!

When I had my phone on the stock rom, I never had any problems with the camera. So you tried a factory reset already?

 

[AzAssassin]

When I had my phone on the stock rom, I never had any problems with the camera. So you tried a factory reset already?

Hey, thank you very much for replying. Yes, I did a factory reset on the phone the same day I bought it and it did not get the camera to work. I tried getting the camera app to open multiple times before doing a factory reset and multiple times afterward and it just will not open. Like I mentioned, I Googled "HTC One X Camera unable to start" and "HTC One X Camera problem" and found several results of people complaining about the exact same issue. After checking out 5-10 of the Google links, other than someone saying that a factory reset did fix the issue for them, I could not find a resolution.

I seem to recall reading something about the HTC One X being able to update to Jelly bean 2.4; is this correct? And if so, could that possibly/likely fix the problem?

 

[wizzrah]

Hey, thank you very much for replying. Yes, I did a factory reset on the phone the same day I bought it and it did not get the camera to work. I tried getting the camera app to open multiple times before doing a factory reset and multiple times afterward and it just will not open. Like I mentioned, I Googled "HTC One X Camera unable to start" and "HTC One X Camera problem" and found several results of people complaining about the exact same issue. After checking out 5-10 of the Google links, other than someone saying that a factory reset did fix the issue for them, I could not find a resolution.

I seem to recall reading something about the HTC One X being able to update to Jelly bean 2.4; is this correct? And if so, could that possibly/likely fix the problem?

The AT&T one x has not received the 4.2 update yet. That is for the international version. Hmmm so you tried a factory reset, so this is definitely a software glitch. Let me get back to you.



Sent from my One X using Tapatalk 2

 

[AzAssassin]

The AT&T one x has not received the 4.2 update yet. That is for the international version. Hmmm so you tried a factory reset, so this is definitely a software glitch. Let me get back to you.

Sent from my One X using Tapatalk 2

Thanks for your replies. Please know that I appreciate the effort to try to help me. I definitely did do a factory rest once already, because there were a bunch of pictures left on the phone (even though, I specifically asked the guy if he needed to get anything off of the phone or to delete anything personal from the phone) and I texted the guy afterward and he said that they were backed up and to go ahead and delete them, so I did the factory reset (that included deleting all files from the phone - which, apparently, he did not do).

This made no difference in regards to the camera app opening. Now, I was going to do another factory reset right now, but I just remembered that I had downloaded a 6GB high-quality video file of the boxing broadcast from Saturday night (via the uTorrent app), and I don't have enough room on my computer's hard drive to be able to copy it over and save it on my computer. So, let me see if I can free up some space and get the boxing files moved off of the phone. If I can do that tonight, I will do another factory reset.

Thanks again for the responses. Any advice, suggestions and/or information will be very much appreciated.

 

[AzAssassin]

I just wanted to post an update, being that I was finally able to save the files from my HTC One X and do another factory reset, and I am sorry to say that it did NOT fix the camera issue. It no longer gives the "Camera unable to start" error message; the screen just stays black and then a message pops up stating that the "Camera app is not responding" and gives two options: "Wait - OK."

Actually, now, after just trying to open the Camera app while posting this message, the app immediately closes and the phone displays a message stating: "Unable to start camera."

Does anyone have any ideas at all? Is the camera likely permanently broken on this phone? Could it just need a software patch/update/upgrade? Being that I bought the phone used, would it possibly do any good to contact HTC Support and hope for some sort of fix or help? For the record, I paid $100 for the phone (with a rubber case and charger), so, even with the camera not working, I'm guessing that I can get the $100 back out of it. However, I would really like to try to get the camera working, whether I keep it or not. So, any ideas or suggestions would be appreciated!

 

[wizzrah]

I just wanted to post an update, being that I was finally able to save the files from my HTC One X and do another factory reset, and I am sorry to say that it did NOT fix the camera issue. It no longer gives the "Camera unable to start" error message; the screen just stays black and then a message pops up stating that the "Camera app is not responding" and gives two options: "Wait - OK."

Actually, now, after just trying to open the Camera app while posting this message, the app immediately closes and the phone displays a message stating: "Unable to start camera."

Does anyone have any ideas at all? Is the camera likely permanently broken on this phone? Could it just need a software patch/update/upgrade? Being that I bought the phone used, would it possibly do any good to contact HTC Support and hope for some sort of fix or help? For the record, I paid $100 for the phone (with a rubber case and charger), so, even with the camera not working, I'm guessing that I can get the $100 back out of it. However, I would really like to try to get the camera working, whether I keep it or not. So, any ideas or suggestions would be appreciated!

The phone might still be under warranty. As long as you have not tampered with it, you can try and send it to them. This is most likely a software glitch. Unfortunately, I was not able to find anything on it.

 

[AzAssassin]

The phone might still be under warranty. As long as you have not tampered with it, you can try and send it to them. This is most likely a software glitch. Unfortunately, I was not able to find anything on it.

Hey, thanks for replying again. Please know that I really appreciate your efforts. I just signed up for an account on the HTC forums, but am still searching around. Do you know if there is a way to check if the warranty on a phone is still valid online? Or by calling? Also, do you think it will likely/possibly/certainly matter that I do not have a receipt for the phone? Or will it just matter if the phone is still covered under warranty?

 

[wizzrah]

Hey, thanks for replying again. Please know that I really appreciate your efforts. I just signed up for an account on the HTC forums, but am still searching around. Do you know if there is a way to check if the warranty on a phone is still valid online? Or by calling? Also, do you think it will likely/possibly/certainly matter that I do not have a receipt for the phone? Or will it just matter if the phone is still covered under warranty?

You would have to call HTC and then tell them either your imei or phone serial number. I think you would also have to tell then that you bought your phone off of ebay. Just tell them everything. Also here is their warranty policy if you are interested.

 

[AzAssassin]

You would have to call HTC and then tell them either your imei or phone serial number. I think you would also have to tell then that you bought your phone off of ebay. Just tell them everything. Also here is their warranty policy if you are interested.

Thanks for the response. I had actually just been at that exact HTC webpage before you posted the link. I definitely appreciate the helpful information, though. And it turns out, HTC Customer Support is available until 1:00 a.m. Eastern Time, so I was able to call and speak to someone about the warranty. As expected, the one-year warranty period on the phone has expired. He said that there is a suggested/estimated cost of $120 for repair, but that it would likely be much less than that, being that the issue is likely a software problem. However, he said he couldn't give me a specific price estimate over the phone. He said I could mail the phone to HTC in Houston, Tx, and then get a call with a specific estimate after diagnosing the problem and before any work is done, and that the turnaorund is typically about three weeks to get your phone back.

Do you or (does anyone) have any idea what the cost to fix this issue might be? Could it realisticially be something like $10-$20? or is it likely going to be $50-$75-$100 or more? And is it likely worth it to send it in to try to get it fixed? Or would you just suggest trying to sell it and get the $100 back that I paid for it? Sorry for the long post. I'm just indecisive and also soemthing of a moron, so these things are usually hard for me to make a decision on. As always, your help is very much appreciated.

Edit: I just wanted to ask if anyone has any new suggestions as to a way to try to fix the (likely) software sisue that is preventing the camera from opening on my HTC One X?

Also, I was curious if rooting the phone might likely help fix the issue? Or would that likely not make a difference with this particular problem? I know nothing about rooting a phone and, quite frankly, I am intimidated by the thought of even trying to learn how to root. However, if it might be a way to fix the software issue and get the camera on my phone working again, I am defintiely open to trying it. As always, any replies will be appreciated!

 

[wizzrah]

Thanks for the response. I had actually just been at that exact HTC webpage before you posted the link. I definitely appreciate the helpful information, though. And it turns out, HTC Customer Support is available until 1:00 a.m. Eastern Time, so I was able to call and speak to someone about the warranty. As expected, the one-year warranty period on the phone has expired. He said that there is a suggested/estimated cost of $120 for repair, but that it would likely be much less than that, being that the issue is likely a software problem. However, he said he couldn't give me a specific price estimate over the phone. He said I could mail the phone to HTC in Houston, Tx, and then get a call with a specific estimate after diagnosing the problem and before any work is done, and that the turnaorund is typically about three weeks to get your phone back.

Do you or (does anyone) have any idea what the cost to fix this issue might be? Could it realisticially be something like $10-$20? or is it likely going to be $50-$75-$100 or more? And is it likely worth it to send it in to try to get it fixed? Or would you just suggest trying to sell it and get the $100 back that I paid for it? Sorry for the long post. I'm just indecisive and also soemthing of a moron, so these things are usually hard for me to make a decision on. As always, your help is very much appreciated.

Edit: I just wanted to ask if anyone has any new suggestions as to a way to try to fix the (likely) software sisue that is preventing the camera from opening on my HTC One X?

Also, I was curious if rooting the phone might likely help fix the issue? Or would that likely not make a difference with this particular problem? I know nothing about rooting a phone and, quite frankly, I am intimidated by the thought of even trying to learn how to root. However, if it might be a way to fix the software issue and get the camera on my phone working again, I am defintiely open to trying it. As always, any replies will be appreciated!

You could try and flash a Rom to fix the camera!

Sent from my HTC One XL using Tapatalk

 

[wizzrah]

You could try and flash a Rom to fix the camera! Also, if you have the HTC one x at&t version, I actually coded and made a toolkit so people don't have to do much other then click buttons and relax. So consider it an option. It does everything for you so you can flash a Rom.

Sent from my HTC One XL using Tapatalk



Sent from my HTC One XL using Tapatalk

 

[MZ9k]

Just wanted to mention you're definitely not the only one with this problem. I've been exhausting my google-fu to find an answer and nothing has completely worked.

Turning off GPS and location data however seems to help the app get it's **** together temporarily as far as the viewfinder goes, but it still poops out if I try to take a picture, change certain settings or try to switch cameras. I've tried hard resets, soft resets, data clearing, cache clearing....Switching to stock(and doing all of the above) let me initiate the shutter and flash, but it immediately freezes (flash on included) and after a a minute or less the shutter finally snaps. No new picture shows in Gallery(which I've also tried clearing cache/date with as well before and after resets).

 

[MZ9k]

I'm going back to stock, flashing then reflashing to see if this works.

PS just got done using your root/unlock/s-off guide a few days ago for my Att One X and it was awesome. Just wanted to say thanks for the effort.

 

[wizzrah]

I'm going back to stock, flashing then reflashing to see if this works.

PS just got done using your root/unlock/s-off guide a few days ago for my Att One X and it was awesome. Just wanted to say thanks for the effort.

Hey thanks!

 

[MZ9k]

All thanks goes to you man, it's much appreciated, but bonus double thanks if you can get to the bottom of this silly camera issue.

Reflash sadly didn't work. Also looked up turning off fastboot, which also didn't work.

 

[wizzrah]

All thanks goes to you man, it's much appreciated, but bonus double thanks if you can get to the bottom of this silly camera issue.

Reflash sadly didn't work. Also looked up turning off fastboot, which also didn't work.

What rom are you trying to flash? P.S I made an HTC One XL Toolkit and currently am making a toolkit for the HTC One.

 

[MZ9k]

Re: HTC One X "Camera unable to start" Error Message

Sorry didn't expect to get pulled away so long.

Avatar rom 3.0 stable and then upgrading to the nightlies is my aim. I should note though, that this started when I first flashed avatar, too, that my camera was fine a few days ago, but all of a sudden odd/glitchy camera behavior. I have no idea if they're related. I flashed urdroid to think the camera might behave better with a stock rom. It didn't so I went to stock. And so on and so on.

PSS Super cool. You've won bonus doubles and are set for triple thanks. A toolkit will make working in my Mac centric life way easier.

- - - Updated - - -

Upgrading OTA or through the app.

 

[wizzrah]

Re: HTC One X "Camera unable to start" Error Message

Sorry didn't expect to get pulled away so long.

Avatar rom 3.0 stable and then upgrading to the nightlies is my aim. I should note though, that this started when I first flashed avatar, too, that my camera was fine a few days ago, but all of a sudden odd/glitchy camera behavior. I have no idea if they're related. I flashed urdroid to think the camera might behave better with a stock rom. It didn't so I went to stock. And so on and so on.

PSS Super cool. You've won bonus doubles and are set for triple thanks. A toolkit will make working in my Mac centric life way easier.

- - - Updated - - -

Upgrading OTA or through the app.

Avatar rom is a stock aosp rom right?

 

[MZ9k]

Re: HTC One X "Camera unable to start" Error Message

Hahaha I have no idea what that is. I'm new to this, but like I said earlier my google-fu is strong so I'm guessing it's not since it runs on a MIUIs and Cyanogen Mod fusion. But again I'm just putting pieces together.