Newer iPhones feature amazing cameras capable of taking professional grade portraits and recording truly cinematic video.
You can capture 12-megapixel images, high definition video, slow motion clips, and amazing panoramic images.
But the high-quality hardware built into these phones is worthless if the software that utilizes them isn't working.
If your iPhone has a black screen when you try to take photos, it's almost always a software issue, not a problem with the lenses or sensors.
Here's what you can do to fix it.
Why is my iPhone camera screen black?
Your iPhone's camera screen can be black for many reasons. The most obvious is that it could be physically blocked by something, such as a phone case, a sleeve, a part of a tripod, or your own hand.
Another reason could be that something is causing the Camera app to glitch. Perhaps it didn't load properly or some other iPhone feature is interfering with its operation.
How to fix black iPhone camera screen
If there's something obstructing your camera and causing the black screen, remove it and continue using the camera as normal.
But barring that simple solution, here are six more ways to fix an iPhone with a black camera screen.
Switch between the back and front cameras
Toggling from the forward-facing to the rear-facing camera usually resets the Camera app, bringing the view through the selected lens back into focus.
1. Open the Camera app.
2. Tap the camera switcher in the bottom right corner of the screen.
3. Wait for a few seconds.
4. Tap the camera switcher again and see if the camera is working now.
Restart the Camera app
If you're still seeing a black screen after switching cameras, then perhaps closing the Camera app and then opening it again can help reset and fix the issue.
1. If your iPhone has a Home button, double-tap it to bring up the App Switcher. If it doesn't, swipe up from the bottom of the screen, hold your finger when it reaches the middle, and release it when the App Switcher shows up.
2. Swipe up to close the Camera app.
3. Wait a few seconds.
4. Open the Camera app again. This will usually get it to work properly.
Restart your iPhone
If restarting the Camera app did not fix the black screen issue, restart your iPhone.
1. On iPhone X or newer, hold down the Power button and any one of the Volume buttons until you see the slide to power off slider. If you're using iPhone 8 Plus or earlier, hold down the Power button until you see the slide to power off slider.
2. Drag the slider to the right.
3. Wait a few seconds.
4. Hold down the Power Button again until the Apple logo appears on the screen.
Turn off the VoiceOver feature
Many iPhone users experience camera glitches while VoiceOver is enabled, so shut it down and try the Camera app again.
1. Open the Settings app.
2. Tap Accessibility.
3. Tap VoiceOver.
4. If the toggle for VoiceOver has a green background, then the feature is on. Tap it to turn it off – it will now have a gray background.
Update your iPhone
If none of the above fixes have worked, try updating your iOS version to the latest one.
1. Open the Settings app.
2. Tap General.
3. Tap Software Update.
4. If an update is available, tap Download and install.
Reset your iPhone
If there's no update waiting for you, try resetting your iPhone instead.
1. Open the Settings app.
2. Tap General.
3. Tap Transfer or Reset iPhone at the bottom.
4. Tap Reset.
5. Tap Reset All Settings in the pop-up.
6. Enter your passcode.
7. Confirm you want to go ahead with the reset by tapping Reset All Settings.
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