Will Google ever put out a fix for the Pixel 2 XL camera app or is my phone worthless now?

[B. Diddy]

Hmm. Sounds increasingly like a bad batch of camera modules.

 

[Mike Dee]

Hmm. Sounds increasingly like a bad batch of camera modules.

Yeah, could be the update bricked a bad bunch of modules

 

[graylingboy]

Have you tried 'camera PX' app from xda developers? Mine works a charm. Might be worth a shot. No root required.

 

[Mike Dee]

Have you tried 'camera PX' app from xda developers? Mine works a charm. Might be worth a shot. No root required.

But do you have a bricked camera using the native app?

 

[Chex313]

Have not been on the forums in a while...Never heard of this problem...I still think my Pixel 2 XL is by far the best phone ever owned...Camera works instantly via double press volume button. Takes pics that are still fantastic. I bought the P3 and P4XL and still found the P2 XL as my preferred device.

The device's worked at one time? Cases have been removed? Lenses cleaned? 9 phones is the most unusual coincident I have heard of...The odds of that must be 1 in a million.

 

[Fisherguy 01]

Pixel 2 XL camera app doesn't work anymore?!

OK, my phone is just over 2 years old, best part about it has always been the camera.
Now when I try to open the app I get a black screen fo 2 or 3 seconds then the app crashes. Reading the reviews for the app in the "play store" this seems to be a common problem that Google does not seem to be willing to do anything about.

Last 3 phones have been from Google, just got one for my wife, but I'm not too impressed with this, might be time to try something else..?

 

[hallux]

Re: Pixel 2 XL camera app doesn't work anymore?!

You may not be alone, but it's also not every single device, mine is working fine...

 

[Fisherguy 01]

Re: Pixel 2 XL camera app doesn't work anymore?!

I don't know what is going on, worked fine yesterday, had issues this morning but DID manage to take 2 pics, now nothing.
Funny people in the thread you linked, "...your phone is so old", really? Hate to think Google phones are only designed to last 2 years.

 

[Fisherguy 01]

I need my camera for work and it appears Google is not going to do anything to fix this. It is not a hardware problem, we have 9 Pixel 2 XL phones at work and non of them have a working camera now, 9 phones is not a coincidence it's a flaw in one of the past updates, all 9 do the same thing, hit the camera app, get a black screen, and it just goes back to the home screen. Calling Google is a waste of time, neither front nor back cameras work on any of them. Can not afford to buy 9 new phones and can not sell them like this for even close to what a used Pixel 2 XL was worth before this camera crap started. If I need to replace them it sure as hell will not be with anything Google sells.

OK, my Pixel 2XL was fine yesterday, had problems this morning but DID manage to take 3 pics but now I have the same problem you had, did you ever get it working?
I take pics probly every day, hate to think I have to get a new phone just cuz the camera mysteriously stopped working! [Mod redacted]

 

[mustang7757]

[Merged same topic]

 

[mustang7757]

OK, my Pixel 2XL was fine yesterday, had problems this morning but DID manage to take 3 pics but now I have the same problem you had, did you ever get it working?
I take pics probly every day, hate to think I have to get a new phone just cuz the camera mysteriously stopped working! [Mod redacted]

[Please be careful with the language]

 

[B. Diddy]

Have you already tried contacting Google support using the built-in chat function? Go to Settings>Tips & Support, then tap Chat. (This is one of the perks of having a Pixel phone -- direct support from Google.)

 

[Fisherguy 01]

We were away from home today, I followed the google assistant instructions trying to get it working but stopped when it offered to call Google, will try that tomorrow. From what I've been reading though it's going to be a waste of time, they'll want me to reset the phone etc etc and no one has gotten it working again.
It's like it's a hardware issue, something has just stopped working like it's worn out, maybe cuz I DO take lotsa pics.

Gonna be time for a new phone me thinks, my Google brand loyalty has come to an end!

 

[Fisherguy 01]

I need my camera for work and it appears Google is not going to do anything to fix this. It is not a hardware problem, we have 9 Pixel 2 XL phones at work and non of them have a working camera now, 9 phones is not a coincidence it's a flaw in one of the past updates, all 9 do the same thing, hit the camera app, get a black screen, and it just goes back to the home screen. Calling Google is a waste of time, neither front nor back cameras work on any of them. Can not afford to buy 9 new phones and can not sell them like this for even close to what a used Pixel 2 XL was worth before this camera crap started. If I need to replace them it sure as hell will not be with anything Google sells.

Did you ever get your phone working?
Did you also use the camera a lot?

 

[mtbmike24]

For what it's worth I bought a 2xl at launch October 2017 warranty started November 9th 2017 and if memory serves me at about the 6 month point my camera did the exact same thing you described so this is a old problem that I'm sure google was aware of everything else was perfect on the phone. I got it replace under warranty. I remember being super pissed that after 6 months of buying a brand new phone that they sent me someone else's defective refurbished phone that I had no idea what it was refurbished for. This was with good reason because I proceeded to have 4 more replacements over the next year and a half.
My original was the camera black out issue you described. Then a screen issue for the next one a little black smear that developed in the corner. Then the next replacement happened less than a month apart with another black smear in the middle edge of the display by the power button. This one started going all the way across the screen then after about a month it just fixed itself and looked fine for about a week then started again. The tech probably got the phone turned it on for 24 hours checked everything and signed it off as a good replacement because the crack never showed up during the inspection the phone was flawless other than that. I ended up taking a picture and sending to them with a note inside the box to replace the screen it's no good. The next one happened about 9 months later with another black smear at the bottom corner of the display. Then the last replacement was fast charging craped out along with reception issues my phone would just loose LTE reception and go into emergency mode and the only way to get it back was to reboot my phone. My last replacement has been perfect without a single issue other than my news feed was very laggy after December update and lasted through the month of January I tried everything nothing worked until the February security update and that fixed the issue no more lag. My phone has been out of warranty since November 9th I'm hoping I have no issues for a long while. I did buy a Google refurbished 2xl off of eBay for my daughter for Christmas and it's been perfect so far but my luck with this device has not been great as you can see. So far I haven't lost any money so I'm happy for that but the scary thing about it is all my repairs have seemed to be a mix of hardware and software issues.
One question for you. Did the 9 phones have a third party camera filter installed onto the phones if so we're they all the same app? I would advise against installing any camera filters onto the phones although I'm sure many have them without any issues including my daughter. Man 9 phones with the same issue all at the same time does sound very strange even from my history with this phone.

 

[B. Diddy]

We were away from home today, I followed the google assistant instructions trying to get it working but stopped when it offered to call Google, will try that tomorrow. From what I've been reading though it's going to be a waste of time, they'll want me to reset the phone etc etc and no one has gotten it working again.

When did you buy the phone? Keep in mind that the phone has a 2 year warranty, not 1 year, so if you bought the phone in 2018, you might still be able to get the phone replaced.

 

[Fisherguy 01]

I ordered it April 16th 2018 and I'm guessing it came about a week later, so just past the 2 years unfortunately. I'll contactGoogle today, see what they say nut I'm not holding my breath.
BTW, anyone know when the 4A will be coming out? (Right now I'm not sure I'm comfortable going with another Google product)

 

[Fisherguy 01]

Google says warranty expired April 18th, 2 weeks ago, I'm outa luck far as they're concerned!
Pretty lousy customer support AFAIK!

Called the UbreakFix place, he said if BOTH cameras are not working it is NOT a hardware issue, it has to be a software issue, nothing he can do, I should contact Google.
I'm chatting with them again, not holding my breath

 

[B. Diddy]

That's too bad. But then again, remember that Google actually extended this warranty by a year -- most companies warrant their products for only 1 year. It's even worse when a device fails after just over a year, rather than the 2+ years you've had yours.:-\

 

[Kevin Kreppein]

Issue with my Camera App not working (Camera front and back are black). Know issue with all Pixel 2 and 2 XL owners. Jim, the Fi rep acknowledged it was a known issue, it is not my fault and the device hardware likely works fine. The issue is from a software update from Google. I was given the option to buy a new device or wait for a possible software update. Horrible options especially when Google realized it is a problem on their end. Oh, I was given a $20 service credit for my inconvenience. And also, part of the troubleshooting process, I was asked to do a factory reset on my phone which didn't fix the issue. What that did was make my Google Pay on the phone not work because now I can't finalize the verification process with my bank because they want the phone to take a picture of my ID. Also, I can't fully connect to my Wear OS watch without doing a factory reset on my watch which would also render the Google Pay on the watch useless. FIX THIS ISSUE, please.