Source: Andrew Martonik / Android Central
What you need to know
- Pixel smartphone users are experiencing issues after recent software updates have caused apps to crash when attempting to access the camera.
- The majority of users having problems use a Pixel 2, but many others have reported issues when using other Pixel smartphones.
- As a result, there are several posts on the Google support forum about the issues, and the Google Camera app is also getting flooded with one-star reviews.
Google's Pixel lineup of smartphones is usually praised for its photography prowess. That was until recently, when many users began having issues even opening the camera app. Over the past couple of months, several reports have popped up online of Pixel users unable to take photos because the camera app keeps crashing.
A quick look at the Google Pixel support forums reveals thread after thread of users complaining of issues with the camera crashing, dating back as far as December 2019. Most recently, affected users have taken to the Play Store to voice their complaints, leaving one-star reviews on the Google Camera app.
Source: Play Store
In the meantime, some users have had success getting their phone replaced under warranty, while others outside of the warranty period are less fortunate. They are being told to factory reset their phones, which so far has not been helpful, or to visit a third-party repair specialist where a camera replacement can run between $110 and $180.
While the majority of the complaints are for the Pixel 2, there is still a growing list of reports from owners of other Pixel models with the same camera issues. To make matters worse, the problem isn't limited to only the Google Camera app. Users are also reporting other apps such as Snapchat, Instagram, WhatsApp, and more crashing when attempting to use the camera as well.
Could this turn into Google's next class action lawsuit? Earlier this year, the search giant finally began paying out settlements for two of its previous phones. The first was over a hardware flaw with the microphone in the original Pixel smartphone. The second settlement was due to another hardware flaw in the Nexus 6P, which lead to bootloops and battery issues.
We may earn a commission for purchases using our links. Learn more.

Twitter will soon allow you to charge people to see your tweets
Twitter announced two new features at its Virtual Analyst Day, Super Follows and Communities, in its latest effort to increase its revenue.

5G coverage map: Every US city with AT&T, Verizon & T-Mobile 5G
5G deployment is moving fast and the list of cities with coverage is growing all the time. See if your U.S. city has coverage yet by Verizon, T-Mobile, or AT&T.

Are you using the S Pen with the Galaxy S21 Ultra?
The Galaxy S21 Ultra is the first non-Note phone to work with the S Pen. Is this a feature you've been using?

Grab one these car mounts before you take your Pixel 2 on a road trip!
The Google Pixel and Pixel 2 are gorgeous and you’re going to want to hold onto them all the time — except when you're behind the wheel, of course! You need to pick up a great car mount, and we have some favorites to share with you!