Camera problem ( third party)

[Nino27]

Hello,

I have the pixel 2 XL on Android 9

When I try take photos with third party camera apps (Instagram, snapchat, Facebook...) it freezes and reboot the phone.

The freeze and reboots happens after I take 10 - 20 pics in a row with said apps.
I don't have the problem with the native camera because it doesn't use PVC. I don't have the problem with third party cameras that don't use PVC to add HDR features.

So I'm guessing something is wrong with my PVC and that causes freeze and reboots.
I did factory reset and hard reset multiple times but the problem is still there.

It also seems like I'M the only one to have this problem. Can anybody help ?

Big thanks

 

[GSDer]

I installed a 3rd party camera application (Open Camera https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.sourceforge.opencamera) and snapped 66 pictures as quick as possible - no crash, no freeze, no restart.
Sorry, I would have tried Instagram and Snapchat but those require an account to be setup (same as Facebook, which I don't use) and I'm not going there.
I'm guessing that your problem is with those 3rd party applications. If you can find another 3rd party camera application that causes this problem that doesn't require an account to be setup I'll be glad to try to reproduce it.

 

[Nino27]

I installed a 3rd party camera application (Open Camera https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.sourceforge.opencamera) and snapped 66 pictures as quick as possible - no crash, no freeze, no restart.
Sorry, I would have tried Instagram and Snapchat but those require an account to be setup (same as Facebook, which I don't use) and I'm not going there.
I'm guessing that your problem is with those 3rd party applications. If you can find another 3rd party camera application that causes this problem that doesn't require an account to be setup I'll be glad to try to reproduce it.

Hey GSDer thanks for replying,

I made a YouTube video where I reproduced the problem using Android messages (stock sms app) : https://youtu.be/fMiH7DXei78
I was able to take 17 shots before the phone froze and rebooted. Again this never happens in the stock app or any app that doesn't use the PVC.

Do you know of any way to disable Pixel Visual Core? I guess that could solve my problem and I don't need it anyway.

PS: the real problem for me is that you don't necessarily need to take 20 shots in a row for the phone to reboot. You may take 3 then quit the app, the next time you take 4 and quit the app, and the next time you take only one and it freeze and reboot. It's like taking pictures using PVC is loading something over time that crash at a certain point.

Thanks.

 

[Nino27]

I installed a 3rd party camera application (Open Camera https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.sourceforge.opencamera) and snapped 66 pictures as quick as possible - no crash, no freeze, no restart.
Sorry, I would have tried Instagram and Snapchat but those require an account to be setup (same as Facebook, which I don't use) and I'm not going there.
I'm guessing that your problem is with those 3rd party applications. If you can find another 3rd party camera application that causes this problem that doesn't require an account to be setup I'll be glad to try to reproduce it.

Hey thanks for responding

I manage to take a YouTube video to reproduce the problem in Android messages (stock sms app) : youtu.be/fMiH7DXei78
Managed to take 17 shots before the phone froze and rebooted.
This never happens in stock camera or any camera that doesn't use PVC.

Is there a way to disable PVC ? Couldn't find an official one. That woyld prevent the problem I guess.
It is especially annoying since you do not have to take 20 shots in a row for the phone to freeze but to take 20 PVC shots over your usage time of the phone. It's like taking PVC shots is building something in the system that crashes at a certain point ...

 

[GSDer]

I made a YouTube video where I reproduced the problem using Android messages (stock sms app)
I was able to take 17 shots before the phone froze and rebooted.

Do you know of any way to disable Pixel Visual Core? I guess that could solve my problem and I don't need it anyway.

PS: the real problem for me is that you don't necessarily need to take 20 shots in a row for the phone to reboot. You may take 3 then quit the app, the next time you take 4 and quit the app, and the next time you take only one and it freeze and reboot. It's like taking pictures using PVC is loading something over time that crash at a certain point.

I checked out your video and tried to reproduce it - after taking 40+ pictures using the stock Android Messages app (deleting them every time I reached the attachment limit of 10) I gave up: I didn't see the problem.

I don't know of a way to disable the PVC. At one time I thought there was a setting in Developer options, when it first was introduced, but it's certainly not there now.

Can you reproduce the problem in Safe mode (where none of your 3rd party applications would come into play)?

 

[Nino27]

No I doesn't seem like I can reproduce in safe mode so far, strange... I'm doing the same thing I did in the video but I'm not getting the crash and reboot.

What is also strange is that I tried factory reseting and, without installing any app or restoring any data, I managed to reproduce the crash.

But it looks like it's fine in safe mode although I'll keep testing throughout the day

 

[Nino27]

Nevermind, I finally did manage to reproduce the freeze and reboot in safe mode. I did the same steps I did in the YT video with Android Messages. The first few times I tried in safe mode I was able to make 30+ shots but eventually this time around the crash happened on the 15th shot...

But anyway it is much more harder to reproduce the bug in safe mode, to the point that it wouldn't be bothering. When I'm not in safe mode and try to reproduce the bug with android messages it comes rather quickly.

 

[GSDer]

What is also strange is that I tried factory reseting and, without installing any app or restoring any data, I managed to reproduce the crash.

If that's the case it's time to contact Google Support - Google app, Google OS, Google phone - their problem.