iOS 18.2 has been available for a few weeks now. However, some iPhone users — myself included — noticed a bug that has prevented the camera from working since they updated to this new version. A Reddit thread was posted two weeks ago, and users are still complaining about the issue with no fix in sight.
The user who initially posted the thread on Reddit wrote:
Ever since i updated to ios 18.2 my camera refuses to work sometimes, for example i try to use the camera app it’s just a black screen, have to re open it 2-3 sometimes to finally get it to work, same for snapchat the camera will just be black and have to restart the app once or twice to get it to work. My flash light also refuses work or is very delayed to activate via the action button or control center sometimes, more often via action button it doesn’t work.
One of the top comments on this thread mentioned the same issues: “Same with me, too. I thought it was my phone at first, but looking at forums, it seemed to be happening with 18.2. I just got my phone last weekend, so I thought it was just my phone and was about to go back and exchange it, but it seems to be a SW issue. I get the same black screen whether I use the camera control button, camera icon, or from the lock screen.”
I have personally been dealing with this iOS 18.2 camera bug, specifically when opening the iPhone 16 Pro camera with the Camera Control before being recognized by Face ID. By pressing the Camera Control with the display locked, the camera app usually opens to a black screen, and even Face ID stops working.
Fortunately, reports claim that Apple is working on an iOS 18.2.1 update. While it’s unclear if this version could fix this particular iOS 18.2 bug, some iPhone users found that replacing their device with Apple doesn’t even fix the bug.
Another option is to download iOS 18.3 beta 1. A new build is expected soon, as Apple is rumored to be planning a release for later this month.
