How do I turn off the camera on my phone? Just in case you need to

So, for whatever reason, you would like to turn off the camera of your smartphone. We did some research to give you ideas on how to turn it off with or without the help of a third-party application. 

To turn off the camera of your Android smartphone, go to Settings > Apps > Camera app > Permissions > Disable camera. To turn off the camera of your iPhone, go to Settings > Restrictions > Camera app > Toggle to disable. 

We are kind of curious now, why would you want to turn off the camera of your phone? Don’t you want to take some awesome images and share them with the world? No? No worries. We will help you turn off your camera and give some advice about how to lock it. You can choose a permanent or temporary solution. It is up to you. 

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How do I turn the camera off on my iPhone?

Go to the settings of your iPhone and look for the Restrictions tab. Find the camera app and toggle it. The color of the toggle turns grey (from green). You won’t be able to use the factory camera app. 

Short version: Go to Settings > Restrictions tab > Camera app > Toggle it to grey.

Other third-party apps that use the camera won’t be able to do that in the future. So no FaceTime and WhatsApp video calls for the moment. The solution can be temporary. If you want to use the camera again, you simply retrace your steps. Go to Settings > Restrictions > Camera app > Toggle to green

How do I turn off the camera on my Android phone?

It is pretty easy and fast to disable your camera phone on your Android device. Go to settings, choose apps (sometimes twice), and find the camera application in the list of apps. Click on the camera app icon, go to permissions and disable the camera with a toggle. 

In short. Go to Settings > Apps > Camera app > Permissions > Disable camera with toggle. 

How to disable my smartphone camera with an app?

Several apps can help you (permanently) disable the camera on your phone. We researched the Android and Apple Store to find some good applications. It seems that only Android has some good apps with multiple functions. We will discuss them below. 

Android applications to block or turn off your camera

Cameraless Camera Blocker

The Cameraless app blocks the cameras on your phone to protect you from potential spies, stalkers, and malware. It also prevents taking pictures in secure areas. 

There are two distinct functions. You can enable and disable the camera manually, or set time-frames or locations to do it automatically. This makes it an ideal app for people who work in secure environments. 

Camera Blocker 2020 app

Camera Blocker 2020

The Camera Blocker app will prevent taking unauthorized pictures and video recordings from your mobile device. The app will secure your phone when other apps use the camera in the background. It will disable your camera when you don’t need it. It works very directly by pushing the Lock Camera button. Just unlock it, when you do need the camera.

Permanently Disable Camera Android App

Permanently Disable Camera

This is an app for Android 5.0 or later. It will disable the camera(s) on your Android devices. So you can use it on your smartphone and tablet. The app lets you disable the camera without an option to reverse it. 

You can follow these steps. But be sure you do not want to enable the camera again. This is not possible!

  1. Install the app from the Google Play Store
  2. Open the app and follow the steps given. Grant device admin permission > Activate device administrator > Disable camera. 
  3. Your camera is now disabled for all apps. 
  4. The app also disabled the possibility of doing a factory reset or adding new users since either of those could allow the cameras to be re-enabled. 

Can you lock your camera on your smartphone?

Some phones allow you to put apps, pictures, and other files in a secure folder. This folder is password protected. You cannot even access this folder when you connect your phone to a laptop or pc. This is a way to protect your camera on your smartphone further.

How do I uninstall the camera app on my phone?

It is difficult to uninstall built-in stock apps from your phone. You can, however, fairly simply disable them. Go to Settings > Apps > Camera app > Disable. This will disable the application on your phone. 

You can also uninstall apps from Google Play or the Apple store. Sometimes uninstall will only delete updates from the app, not the app itself. Usually, many apps are pre-installed on your phone when you buy it. This bloatware can take up a lot of space on your phone. 

In some cases, you may want to eradicate these pre-installed apps. This might be possible, but only when you root your phone. We will not go into this extensive process in this blog.

Remove the camera from your lock screen

On an iPhone, this is easy to manage with screen time. Follow these steps. 

Go to Settings > Screen time > Turn on Screen Time > For new users, tap Continue > Content & Privacy > Toggle Content & Privacy Restrictions > Allowed apps > Toggle Camera app to grey.

When you lock your screen, you can put your phone to the test. When you swipe left, nothing should happen. The camera icon on the lock screen is gone. 

Do you have an Android-operated phone? Follow these few guidelines. It works with a lot of phones, but not with all. 

Go to Settings > Security > Screen Lock > Lock Screen Shortcuts > Tab Camera Icon > choose None or another App

Apps on Smartphone

How do I disable my camera for apps?

Go to the settings of your smartphone, click on apps, find the permissions tab, and revoke the camera access for the apps you prefer. Think about it for a minute. Which apps do need camera access to function correctly? And which apps don’t necessarily need to use it? Can you use LinkedIn without granting permission? Does Twitter need a camera to function? You might be surprised how many apps you have given access to the camera on your phone and do not need it to do their job correctly. 

Keep your smartphone safe

Why would you want to turn off the camera?

It might seem a bit strange to read a blog post about disabling your camera on a website about smartphone photography. But in some cases, it might be necessary to do so. It is useful for people who work in secure environments. Devices used for educational purposes might also need to turn off the camera. There are plenty of security-related reasons why you would want to turn off camera access. 

When you use your smartphone to take photographs regularly, you can use an app to secure your camera with a password or pattern. You can still access the camera but in a relatively fast and easy way. 

Final thoughts on turning off your camera

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