Many users have complained that they get a ‘camera error’ when they try to launch the camera on their Moto G handsets and that the camera does not start at all. Some users have reported that the problem arose after updating to Android 4.4 KitKat.
Follow the steps given below to resolve the issue:
- Power off the phone, wait for some time, and then power on the device. Verify if the camera works. This is a temporary solution.
- Users may also check for the latest software/OS updates which may have fixed the issue. To check for updates, Go to Settings – > About phone – > System updates.
- If the issue persists, Go to Settings – > Apps – > Camera – > tap on Force stop, Clear cache, and Clear data options. Restart the phone and try launching the camera.
- It is also possible for the camera error to occur due to a third-party application which makes use of either the flash or the camera. For example, Skype may use the camera while flashlight apps may make use of the flash option. Hence, tap the multitasking option present at the bottom of the screen and drag away/close all the apps running in the background.
- If the issue persists, then an app may be the probable cause. In order to verify this, run the phone in safe mode.
- To launch the safe mode on the Moto G, press the power key and later tap and hold the ‘power off’ option till the ‘reboot to safe mode’ option/window is seen. Select ok and the phone will reboot in the safe mode.
- The safe mode reboot screen can be recognized by the words ‘safe mode’ which appear on the lower left hand corner of the display.
- Start the camera app and see if it works. Take some test photos. If the camera works in the safe mode, then there is no fault with the hardware of the camera. The fault lies with an app which conflicts with the camera.
- Power off the phone and reboot into normal mode. Users may delete/uninstall all the apps one by one to determine the culprit app. This step may take a lot of time; hence, you may skip it and directly go for a factory reset of the device. Factory reset erases all data. Hence, back up all your data before doing a hard reset.
- To perform hard reset from the screen,
- Go to Menu – > Settings – > Backup & Reset – > Factory Data reset – > tap Reset Phone.
- If the screen is not accessible for any reason whatsoever, then you may perform a hard reset using the hardware buttons of the phone, as follows,
- Power off the phone.
- Hold down the ‘volume down’ key for a few seconds and then press the power key and then release the keys.
- Different boot options are seen.
- Scroll down to ‘recovery’ using the volume down button and select it by using the volume up button.
- The Motorola logo followed by android in distress image are seen.
- Press and hold down the volume up button for 10 to 15 seconds. During this time tap and release the power button.
- Additional menu options in blue hue are seen.
- Scroll to ‘wipe data/factory reset’ option using volume down key and select it using the power key
- Choose ‘YES – delete all user data’ option using the volume down key.
- Press the power button to ‘confirm.’
- After the formatting is over, confirm/select the reboot option by pressing the power button.
- The device will now reboot and power up normally.
