Several Users Affected by Google Pixel 3 ‘Fatal Error’ Camera Bug

Pixel 3 owners are dealing with another software glitch ‘fatal error’ camera bug that restricts camera app.

Google’s recently launched Pixel 3 is a hotbed of bugs and issues. First, there was an issue with the phone’s RAM, then there was the bug that gave a second separate notch on the side of the phone, another one where text messages started disappearing, and then there was a bug which caused the screen of the phone to flicker and overheat in charging mode.

And now, several users have taken to Google’s product forum, Reddit and Twitter to report a flaw that disables the phone’s camera. While some Pixel 3 users reported getting “Can’t connect to the camera” on their screens, others report getting “The camera driver encountered a fatal error” while accessing it in third-party apps like Instagram, Snapchat, and Facebook.

Rebooting the phone seems to fix the fatal error camera bug temporarily for some users when the camera is disabled while using apps like Facebook or Android Messages.

Google Pixel XL smartphone users have encountered a similar issue.

A Temporary Fix to the Pixel 3 Fatal Error Camera Bug

Rebooting the phone seems to fix the fatal error camera bug temporarily for some users when the camera is disabled while using apps like Facebook or Android Messages. However, we haven’t yet found a permanent solution to this problem.

Owen Williams of Charged found that the issue seems to be stemming from the phone’s system not being able to release the lock on the camera correctly. As a result, other apps on the phone believe the feature is still in use and thus, crash.

Williams is among several Pixel 3 users who reached out to Google’s support team but was refused for a replacement unit. The support team insisted users wait for the software fix.

While some Pixel 3 users reported getting “Can’t connect to the camera” on their screens, others report getting “The camera driver encountered a fatal error” while accessing it in third-party apps like Instagram, Snapchat, and Facebook.

Interestingly, this isn’t the first Google Pixel phone with a camera bug. Earlier this year, several Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL users reported a similar “fatal error” that kept crashing the preloaded camera app. Google provided a temporary fix through a binary patch. The fix, however, was limited only to users who have rooted their Pixel 2 phones.

Let’s hope Google is able to provide a solution to the Pixel 3 fatal error camera bug. If otherwise, the Pixel 3’s signature feature will be rendered useless.