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You are here: Home / Not working? / Camera not Working after iOS 14 Update

Camera not Working after iOS 14 Update

Last updated on September 18, 2020 By Stacey Butler 16 Comments

Some users are reporting that their cameras have stopped working after updating to iOS 14. This problem seems to especially afflict iPhone 7 and iPhone 7s users. The problem is described as the camera not loading, or the camera only rarely functioning. Also, users report their flashlight is not working.

See also: How to Download and Install the iOS 14 Update & Troubleshoot Common Problems

See also: A Guide to the 5 Best iOS 14 Features

iPhone 7 and 7s users have had issues with updates in the past. With iOS 13, users were reporting that their microphones had stopped working. The current issues with camera not working for some iPhone 7 users had been previously reported in the beta versions of iOS 14.

Camera not working iOS 14

Here are a few things to try in order to get your camera working again

Possible Fixes

Restart

The first thing to try is simply restarting your iPhone.

  1. Press and hold both the volume down button and the Sleep/Wake button.
  2. When the Apple logo appears, release both buttons.

NFC

While this may not work for all users, you may wish to give it a try before restoring your phone to iOS 13 – especially if you don’t have an archived backup in iTunes to use to restore all your data and settings.

  1. Open Settings.
  2. Scroll down until you find Control Center and select it.
  3. Scroll until you see NFC Tag Reader.
  4. Tap the Remove button (red circle with a minus sign) to the left of NFC Tag Reader and then tap Remove.

Flashlight

Again, this may not work for all users, but you may want to give it a try before doing a factory reset.

  1. Turn on Flashlight from the Control Center (swipe down from upper-right corner of your iPhone.) It may not come on, even though the flashlight indicator on your screen will say it is.
  2. Exit the Control Center and open the Camera app and wait several seconds. Your camera should work now.

Restore to Factory Settings

If restarting doesn’t work for you, you may want to try restoring your iPhone to factory settings. This will completely wipe the data and settings on your phone. Your iPhone will still be running iOS 14 if you choose this option.

See also: How To Reset Your Macbook To Factory Settings

First, backup your iPhone. There are two options.

iCloud: Go to Settings > iCloud > Backup. Make sure that iCloud Backup is enabled. You will be able to see when your last backup was. If you have never backed up your phone before or if it has been awhile, select Backup Now. Note: If, by chance, the last time you backed up your iPhone using iCloud was while you were still running iOS 13.7, you may want to preserve that backup in iCloud, rather than writing over it with an iOS 14 backup you won’t be able to use if you eventually choose to downgrade to iOS 13.7.

See also: iCloud Backup Failed, Fix

iTunes (Windows or macOS Mojave or earlier) or Finder (macOS Catalina or later): Plug your phone into your PC or Mac using the charging cable. Click on the iPhone icon in the top-left corner of iTunes, under the Play button. Then follow the onscreen instructions.

See also: iTunes Backup Password: What Is It? How Can You Change It?

See also: iTunes Not Recognizing Your iPhone or iPad? Fix

Now to Factory-reset your phone.

  1. Go to Settings > General > Reset > Erase All Content and Settings.
  2. If you have an iCloud backup, there will be an option to update it. Tap Back Up Then Erase.
  3. Type in your passcode if prompted. Tap Erase iPhone in the warning box.
  4. Enter your Apple ID to confirm

Downgrade to iOS 13.7

Maybe iOS 14 is not working for your iPhone. There is the option to downgrade to iOS 13.7. Hopefully, you made an archived backup of your iPhone before upgrading. If so, you won’t loose your data and settings. If not, you can still downgrade, you will just have to set up your phone from scratch.

  1. Disable Find My iPhone. Go to Settings, then tap your name at the top of your display. Tap on Find My, then tap on Find My iPhone. Finally, tap the toggle to the right of Find My iPhone to disable it. Enter your Apple ID and password.
  2. Download the iOS 13.7 Restore Image for your iPhone model. Using your Mac or a PC, you should be able to find the file you’re looking for at ipsw.me.
  3. Connect your iPhone to your Mac or PC using the charging cable.
  4. If iTunes doesn’t open on its own, look at your phone’s Lock Screen. If it says Unlock iPhone to use Accessories, then unlock your iPhone.
  5. You may need to choose Trust this Computer on your iPhone. You may also need to update iTunes on your PC or Mac.
  6. Under devices in the sidebar of iTunes, you will see your iPhone. Click on this and the Summary screen will open.
  7. On Mac while holding the Option key, click Restore iPhone. If you are using a PC, hold Shift and click Restore iPhone.
  8. Find your Restore Image in the file browser window. It will be the .ipsw file you downloaded today. It is probably in your Downloads file. Select the file and click Open.
  9. When the pop-up menu appears, click Restore. Keep your iPhone connected to your computer until the process is finished and you see the iOS 13 Welcome Screen on your phone. Your phone now is running iOS 13.7.
  10. If you don’t have an iCloud backup or an archived backup from iTunes from before you upgraded to iOS 14, select Set Up as New iPhone. If your last iCloud backup was with iOS 13.7, you can select to Restore from iCloud. If you have an archived backup from when your iPhone was running iOS 13.7, you can now restore your phone with that backup to retrieve all your photos, settings and data using iTunes.
  11. To restore from iTunes, keep your iPhone connected to your computer and select Restore from iTunes Backup.
  12. Select your iPhone in iTunes and click Restore Backup.
  13. Choose your archived backup, then choose Restore. Wait for the restore to finish and then you may unplug your iPhone. Your phone will be restored to your pre-iOS 14 phone with all of your settings and data restored.

Filed Under: Not working? Tagged With: Camera, iOS 14

Comments

  1. Muhammad Imran Zafar says

    October 18, 2020 at 6:50 am

    My camera front and back is also stopped working after once i upgrade to ios 14. front back and flash light is suddenly stopped from working.

    Reply
  2. Natalia says

    September 24, 2020 at 7:22 pm

    now who wants to start a petition to cancel Appel for making their own iPhones crash😜

    Reply
  3. Markus says

    September 24, 2020 at 8:59 am

    Same Problem with iPhone XS Max
    After update to ios14 both cameras, Face ID and flashlight doesn‘t work
    I am really furios😡
    Thinking to change out all my Apple products if this bug won‘t be fixed in near future.

    Reply
    • Nelson Ferreira - Fernelco says

      October 11, 2020 at 12:17 am

      Exactly same issue on my iPhone Xs Max 256GB

      Reply
      • Nelson Ferreira - Fernelco says

        October 11, 2020 at 12:20 am

        Now I found that the cameras are working in Facebook Messenger app camera feature. Extreme weird things happening jajaja

        Reply
  4. John says

    September 23, 2020 at 11:19 pm

    I have a brand new macbook air and iphone SE. The continuity camera document scanner feature isn’t working after the update to iOS14, right when I desperately needed it to. Really disappointing. I hope apple can figure out a way to release a patch quickly, for this is a promised feature that one of the main reasons to have the expensive set up.

    Reply
  5. Hafsakhan says

    September 23, 2020 at 3:53 pm

    I’ve tried everything and nothing works. Will downgrading really fix all these problems? Or is it just an assumption?

    Reply
  6. Carol caroline says

    September 23, 2020 at 9:12 am

    Thanks God! My camera is back after turning on the flashlight n open the camera for several seconds 😩

    Reply
  7. Kirsty lynch says

    September 22, 2020 at 11:57 pm

    Ipsw.me. Says you cannot download the iOS 13.7 anywhere else you can restore

    Reply
  8. Hunter G. says

    September 22, 2020 at 6:54 pm

    The flashlight tip totally works for me! I have to do EVERY TIME I use my camera … but at least there’s a workaround to get the camera going. My mic has been broken for literally YERAS and I thought it was just my iPhone… damn Apple, I’m really thinking about Android FYI.

    Reply
  9. Zander Peters says

    September 21, 2020 at 7:44 pm

    Nothing worked so please help me out my mic also does not work and my camera also

    Reply
    • Vicky says

      September 23, 2020 at 1:49 am

      you are not alone.

      Reply
  10. Molly Traw says

    September 21, 2020 at 2:08 pm

    Thank you for this article! It got my flashlight and camera back up and going! Now, how about a fix for that microphone. I can’t send or receive voice calls or do speech to text, but I can watch videos.

    Reply
    • Molly J Traw says

      September 21, 2020 at 2:11 pm

      Well, only fixed it for a minute and now it doesn’t work again.

      Reply
  11. David says

    September 20, 2020 at 6:06 pm

    Thanks! Turning off NFC fixed it for me

    Reply
  12. hannah muter says

    September 20, 2020 at 10:29 am

    my phone camera and flashlight is still not working after i have tried some of the steps

    Reply

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Stacey Butler is a tech writer at macReports covering news, how-tos, and user guides. She is a longtime Mac and iPhone user and holds a Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana.

 

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