"Camera busy". Is there a fix?

[Ned Squiggly]

For a week now, my camera will not open. All I get is a message saying "Camera busy" and to restart my phone. These are the things I tried to fix it, but with no luck:
-Ran the phone in safe mode
-Wiped cache partition
-Ran the phone in test mode and tried to test the camera functions (I got a message saying "phone does not support external app")
-Powered on and off a million times
-Turned location services off
-Switched to global
-Deleted data in the camera app
-Wiped camera cache
-Uninstalled or uninstalled updates for any app that would use the camera (like Google maps, Facebook, FB messenger, etc..) and wiped their cache and data as well.
Anything else I could try before a factory reset? I really don't want to go that route especially since several Google searches has shown a factory reset hasn't helped with this issue.

 

[Einsteindks]

Wiped app preferences? Something may have been given camera control, and works 'behind the scenes'.

 

[Ned Squiggly]

How do I wipe the app preferences?

 

[Einsteindks]

a menu in app manager, in settings. Doesn't do much harm, you will need to choose what's used for what. No extra effort needed, you'll just be answering some simple pop-up menus during normal operations.

 

[Ned Squiggly]

Thanks for the help, I think I'll try it. What exactly happens when you wipe the app preferences?

 

[Rukbat]

Running a data file (music, video, etc.), will ask you which app to open it with, and whether to do it just this once or always.

 

[Ned Squiggly]

Nevermind, it tells you in a warning haha

 

[Ned Squiggly]

Man, that didn't work either. I also just tried opening the camera from a launcher and it still won't work.

 

[doogald]

Almost surely this is a hardware failure, but you'll know for sure when you factory data reset. When you do it, don't restore your account or data - just do a basic setup and try the camera right away. Hopefully it's just an issue with an app you have now, and the camera will work after the FDR, but prepare for it not working.

 

[tony bag o donuts]

It is hardware failure. I had it happen a month ago. It's actually a known issue when Verizon support looks it up.

 

[Ned Squiggly]

It is hardware failure. I had it happen a month ago. It's actually a known issue when Verizon support looks it up.

Did you fix the issue, or had to get a new phone?

 

[tony bag o donuts]

Replacement device. So yeah new phone.

 

[Ned Squiggly]

Replacement device. So yeah new phone.

Thanks for the reply, it looks like that's what I'm gonna have to do.

 

[tony bag o donuts]

Good luck. Tell them known issue and then they actually will look it up. Weird how it just happens. Mine would always go to black screen and not work. But rest of phone still worked fine.

 

[Ned Squiggly]

Almost surely this is a hardware failure, but you'll know for sure when you factory data reset. When you do it, don't restore your account or data - just do a basic setup and try the camera right away. Hopefully it's just an issue with an app you have now, and the camera will work after the FDR, but prepare for it not working.

Yes that's my only option now. But I'm going to be upgrading in a couple months (or sooner, if I can somehow pay off the remaining balance of the Edge plan.) So that's why I'm holding off on a factory reset. I don't want to have to restore all my data, apps, etc., set up my phone or go through getting a replacement, just to have to do it all over again when I get a new phone. Sucks not having a camera, but at least I can still make phone calls haha.