How I Got Rid Of Moto Camera’s “Camera Error: Please Restart Camera” Problem

Several months ago, the camera app on my Moto G5 Plus phone began to intermittently malfunction when I opened it. Instead of letting me take a picture, I’d get an error message of “Camera Error: Please Restart Camera.” I would close and restart the app four or five times before finally being able to take a picture– by which time I’d have missed the opportunity to capture the picture I’d wanted.

Incredibly frustrating! I tried the suggestions on the support website, but none of them helped and the problem persisted.

Here’s how I finally chose to deal with the problematic Moto Camera app:

  1. Installed Mark Harman’s Open Camera App.
  2. Tested the Open Camera app to make sure it worked properly on my phone (i.e. it takes pictures, uploads them to Google Photos, etc.)
  3. Remove Moto Camera from the Home Screen’s Dock.
  4. Add Open Camera to the Home Screen Dock.
  5. Open the App Drawer, then press & hold on the Moto Camera app until the “App Info” menu item appears.
  6. Click on “App Info” and then click on the “Disable” button.
  7. Confirm you want to disable and uninstall the Moto Camera app.

Your mileage may vary, of course, but my phone camera opens reliably now.