My Note 5 a lot of time sizzles when I go to the camera. What causes this and can I fix it? Thanks.

[AC Question]

For the past 6 months my Note 5 makes a sizzling noise when I go to the camera app. It quits after about 15 seconds and doesn't do it all the time but more and more. I'd like to fix it but have no idea if fixable. I purchased this phone new from Verizon late 2015. Thanks.

 

[B. Diddy]

Welcome to Android Central! Is the sound coming from the speaker or the camera module itself?

 

[Jessica Smith]

Thanks for the welcome B. Diddly,

The sound is coming from the speakers when I go to the camera. The sound last seconds and then it corrects itself. It's a sizzling/static kind of sound. I wish I could stop it.

 

[jlost]

Thanks for the welcome B. Diddly,

The sound is coming from the speakers when I go to the camera. The sound last seconds and then it corrects itself. It's a sizzling/static kind of sound. I wish I could stop it.

My wife's had done that a few times. I think it's the hardware in the camera. I could be wrong... She can still take photos though.

 

[B. Diddy]

Not sure what to make of that. I wonder if the camera module is generating some kind of RF signal upon startup that is causing this staticky sound from the speakers.

Does it happen in Safe Mode as well? https://support.t-mobile.com/docs/DOC-27639

 

[henderjr]

I think I had the same problem. Does the screen vibrate too making it hard to see anything? Here's an example of what my old Note 5 did. Phone Vibrating Sometimes it would do it for 30+ seconds making it impossible to take a photo quickly. I eventually went back to Sprint since I had it just under a year and got a replacement..

 

[Jessica Smith]

Yep, that's it exactly. I've had mine for over a year from Verizon so guess I just have to live with it. I love my phone other than that issue. Did Sprint know what was wrong with it?

I posted my question on Samsung website. Maybe they have an answer. Thanks for the link. I posted that there also.

ETA: I did a chat with Samsung. They had me in safe mode and asked me to clear the camera data. That did no good. They had me do a reset to the phone. I backed up everything and did the reset. That did no good. They took my IMEI number and I'm out of warranty. They said I could send the phone in for repair, but it would cost me money. I told them I'd wait it out and see if I could find a solution online before going that route. I'll hit all forums first. It seems this is happening to others so hopefully someone can share their fix...if there is one. Thanks everyone for the suggestions.

 

[Jessica Smith]

Found this on one site:

The focus issue and the uncalled for noises during operation are indicators of a mechanical or hardware issue. While we’ve encountered a lot of Note 5 readers complaining about focus issues, most of them tend to be caused by glitchy software. Your case on the other hand appears to be due to bad hardware. The noise and the unflattering photo output is a product of poor mechanical implementation in the camera assembly. The best thing that you can do here is to request for a replacement phone as soon as possible. Any software troubleshooting that we usually provide in this blog will not fix your issue.

The thing is, it's the phone's fault and how it was built. Car companies do recalls, shouldn't Samsung take care of these phones that have this issue? Evidently it's not an isolated case.

 

[B. Diddy]

It's probably an issue with the autofocus mechanism, which might be stuck.

You're right, it's problem with the phone hardware -- but that's what a manufacturer's warranty is for, and those typically cover defects for a year (possibly two, if you're in certain countries). But warranties don't last forever -- this is the case for any kind of device you get.

Car manufacturers do recalls for potential safety issues, so it's not a good comparison.

 

[henderjr]

I think what you hear is a grinding noise as something isn't moving fluidly inside. After it did it initially when turning the camera on it would then work ok for quite a while. Then after hours or days it'd do it again. I could get it to do it all the time by shaking the phone (not damaging it) before starting the camera. It drove me nuts so I was glad I finally took it in right before having it a year. I have a 1 year old and missed countless picture opportunities waiting for the camera to stop vibrating.

 

[Jessica Smith]

So if a car manufacturer made all glove compartments to lock up after a year, all those glove compartments that became locked up after a year and after the warranty expired wouldn't be covered under a recall or be the responsibility of the manufacturer? It wasn't a safety issue but a manufacturer defect.

 

[Jessica Smith]

I think what you hear is a grinding noise as something isn't moving fluidly inside. After it did it initially when turning the camera on it would then work ok for quite a while. Then after hours or days it'd do it again. I could get it to do it all the time by shaking the phone (not damaging it) before starting the camera. It drove me nuts so I was glad I finally took it in right before having it a year. I have a 1 year old and missed countless picture opportunities waiting for the camera to stop vibrating.

Thanks.

 

[B. Diddy]

So if a car manufacturer made all glove compartments to lock up after a year, all those glove compartments that became locked up after a year and after the warranty expired wouldn't be covered under a recall or be the responsibility of the manufacturer? It wasn't a safety issue but a manufacturer defect.

If all glove compartments did that, then yes, the company would most likely be compelled do something about it. In the situation with your phone, though, it doesn't appear to be a widespread problem. Some other people have noted it, but compared to the millions of phones sold, it is likely a very sporadic occurrence, so the manufacturer would not be obligated to do anything apart from honor the manufacturer's warranty.

 

[kirksucks]

Reasons for an actual phone recall : see Galaxy Note 7. People were getting hurt and killed. Safety issues.

My camera does this too. First noticed it while using snapchat in my Note 4. I've noticed it again on my n5 in the camera app. It sucks for sure.