Google Pixel 7 and 7 Pro smartphones boast powerful cameras with advanced features such as zoom and flash. The Pixel 7 offers zoom up to 8x, while the 7 Pro offers 5x optical zoom. However, users have reported a strange bug where the camera does not capture photos when zoom and flash are used together, especially in low-light conditions. This issue has left users frustrated and seeking a solution.
In this article, we will explore the reasons for this problem and provide some workarounds to fix it.
Pixel 7 and 7 Pro users have reported that when they use zoom and flash together, the camera fails to save the photo. This issue has been reported in situations where there is not enough light, and the camera is unable to recognize some elements required to take a picture.
One possible cause of this bug is the HDR (High Dynamic Range) processing method used by the Pixel 7 series camera. The camera device may not be recognizing some elements required to take the picture. Another possibility is that the set time for HDR data capture is too short, causing the camera algorithm to not have enough time to identify the focused elements.
Some lines in a logcat captured by users suggest that there are problems during HDR processing, which might be causing the issue.
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How to Fix Google Pixel 7 & 7 Pro camera not taking photos
There are a couple of workarounds that might help you overcome this issue once it occurs. One of them is to start a video recording after the camera refuses to take a picture. Once the recording starts, delete the file, and you should be able to take the photo with zoom and flash. Here are some other way to fix the issue.
Switch Portrait mode
Another workaround is to switch to Portrait mode, take the photo, and then switch back to the regular camera mode. After taking the photo in Portrait mode, users have reported that they were able to take photos with zoom and flash in normal mode just by returning to it.
Turn off Flash & Disable HDR
Some users have also reported that they were able to capture photos by turning off the flash or by disabling HDR in the camera settings. However, these solutions may not always work and may impact the quality of the photo.
Reset the camera app to default
If none of the above solutions work, you may try resetting the camera app to its default settings. Go to Settings > Apps & notifications > See all apps > Camera > Storage & cache > Clear storage > Clear all data. This will reset the camera app to its default settings, and you will need to set it up again.
If these solutions fail, resetting the camera app to its default settings may be the last resort. Hopefully, Google will provide a permanent fix for this issue in future updates.
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