OnePlus 7 Pro front camera reportedly not working for many; hardware or software issue?

There has been a slew of reports from OnePlus 7 Pro users that say that a bad update has rendered their front camera useless. Reportedly, the front camera does pop-up but fails to work and closes immediately on its own.

This is clearly a major issue and users are certainly not pleased as evident from various complaints. Some of them have been given below.

Dear sir, since I updated the latest software, my front camera has stopped working.
Source

front camera opening but not working. getting up n down automatically and also system is getting hanged. I have deleted the cache and restarted but nothing helped. photo captured in back camera.kindly assist
Source

The issue is not just limited to the OnePlus Camera app as most users have stated that it persists across all third-party apps like Instagram, Snapchat, and WhatsApp.

Moreover, almost all users have already tried generic fixes like clearing app data/cache, rebooting, and even factory resetting the phone to no avail.

The problem allegedly started after a bad update. But this claim could not be validated as complainants have pointed fingers towards different updates.

This does seem to imply that the issue is actually hardware-related. Perhaps users facing this problem have somehow damaged their device, and the pop-up camera, being one of the most vulnerable parts of the device, took a bad hit?

Yes it’s not a hardware issue as even i too haven’t dropped my phone or used it in abnormal temperature. Even one plus service centre guys are confused. They dont even have any clue on this issue
Source

But as it turns out from several reports, this does seem to be the case. Quite a few users have stated that they used their OnePlus 7 Pro with utmost caution thus eliminating the chance of physical degradation.

And if selfie camera woes weren’t enough, plenty of others have stated that their rear camera failed to function too soon after the front camera.

I am facing the same issue on OnePlus 7 Pro. My front camera stopped working after getting update 10.3.4 in August and now just after the latest update 10.3.6, my rear camera and flashlight also stopped working. Even after factory reset of phone, it is not working.
Source

All this is perplexing, to say the least. It could be possible that facers of this issue have somehow received a defective unit. But again, most have only begun facing such problems following months of regular usage.

Hence, singling out a culprit is impossible at this point, unless OnePlus releases an official acknowledgment.

However, complaints have been doing rounds for months, and taking their numbers into consideration, OnePlus should’ve already released a bug-fixing update if the problem was indeed software related.

But this hasn’t been the case.

Installed OP 10.3.7 today with updated security patch hoping it would resolve issue that started after 10.3.x update that came with an August Security Patch. No luck with 10.3.7. Whatever OP sent out in that 10.3.x updated has affected all of our phones that have a specific type of hardware. It appears the 10.3.x and August patch has corrupted internal firmware.
Source

Also noteworthy is the fact that although the issue does seem widespread enough, the number of complaints constitute only a tiny fraction of the total number of OnePlus 7 Pro users.

And if the cause of it all is indeed a bad update, then reports would have been far greater in number.

There is seemingly no workaround for the front camera not working issue on OnePlus 7 Pro as of now. Users are advised to take their device to a repair center as soon as possible. And if the device is still under warranty, then you’re in luck.

It is worth mentioning here that OnePlus did recently release an update that fixed the front camera flashback issue. Could that bug be related? Unlikely, but it is still worth a read.

That being said, be sure to check out our dedicated OxygenOS 11 update tracker if you are interested in when your OnePlus 7 Pro, or any other eligible OnePlus device for that matter, will receive the update.

PiunikaWeb started as purely an investigative tech journalism website with main focus on ‘breaking’ or ‘exclusive’ news. In no time, our stories got picked up by the likes of Forbes, Foxnews, Gizmodo, TechCrunch, Engadget, The Verge, MacRumors, and many others. Want to know more about us? Head here.