Google Pixel Camera Blurry

Autor:in: Jordan Coburn (und 2 andere Mitwirkende)

Solve all your blurry camera problems with this Google Pixel troubleshooting page. This will go over several common occurrences when it comes to your Google Phone's camera becoming blurry. This problem can be due to either software or hardware causes, so read on to determine the right solution for you!

As with most personal devices that you keep in your pocket, a build-up of dirt and grime may be what’s keeping your device from taking crystal clear pictures. Using Isopropyl alcohol and a cloth, you will be able to clean the smudged phone camera lens. Both the front-facing and the rear-facing cameras should get a wipe-down to ensure any oils and grime won’t return anytime soon.

This may seem trivial, but a restart of the phone helps to restart the background apps and services. To restart your phone:

Hold down the Power button on the device and then choose Power off.
After it's powered off, hold down the Power button again to start the device back up.

The native camera app that comes with the Google Pixel, like all Android apps, caches settings and other files on its own as you use the app. By clearing or resetting these files and settings, it must rebuild these files which can clear up image issues.

To perform this, go to the Settings app > Apps > See all apps (sometimes you will need to click App info instead) > Camera > Storage & cache > Clear Cache.

Be sure to check for any software updates your phone has. Some blurry camera issues are purely software issues and have been fixed in more recent versions of the phone’s operating system.

To check, go to your Settings app > System > System Update.

If you are trying to snap a selfie, you may be experiencing issues with the front-facing camera. The Google Pixel 3 and 4a's front-facing camera can result in blurry pictures if a certain distance from the camera is not met. Thankfully, this issue seems to have been fixed in more recent versions of the Android software so be sure to check for updates if you haven’t already.

Some third-party apps (Snapchat, Instagram, etc.) have been known to not fully take advantage of the camera’s hardware, thus resulting in sometimes blurry and overall lower-quality images. Try using the camera app that came with the phone instead (Google Camera) to see if the image is sharper.

Is there an audible noise when recording video? Some users experience an “insect” like or high-pitched noise that exists when the camera app is active. This means there is a greater hardware issue at play with the device. Try replacing the camera and following an iFixit guide.