Fix a Missing Camera Icon on iPhone After iOS Update

Oct 9, 2015 - 26 Comments

Find missing Camera app icon in iOS

A handful of iPhone users have discovered their Camera app icon has gone missing after updating iOS to the latest version. Why the Camera mysteriously disappears after updating iOS isn’t always clear, but it’s typically an easy fix using one of the methods outlined below.

Check Camera Restrictions

Some iOS users have discovered the Camera app has been disabled through the devices Restrictions, preventing the camera icon from appearing on the home screen and also from being accessed from other applications.

  1. Open the Settings app and go to “General” followed by “Restrictions”
  2. Enter the passcode when requested and then locate “Camera”, be sure it’s turned to the ON position – you may need to toggle this OFF and then back ON again, but be sure it’s ON

App Restrictions turn the Camera to ON to show missing camera icon in iOS

Go back to the home screen and see if Camera icon appears, it should be there.

Why this randomly gets turned off isn’t clear, but its’ likely that users either disabled the camera at some point or perhaps were hiding other apps and included the Camera app erroneously. Some users report this happened without any user intervention, which is a curious observation.

Reset the Screen Icon Layout

You may have inadvertently stuffed the camera icon into another folder or on a distant page, if so you can reveal it again by resetting the home screen icon layout:

  1. Open Settings and go to General
  2. Select the “Reset” option and tap on “Reset Home Screen Layout”

Return to the Home Screen, the Camera icon should be visible in the upper right corner.

Still Missing Camera Icon? Backup & Restore

If you’ve done the above and you’re still missing the Camera icon, you should backup and restore your device. This is fastest with iTunes:

  1. Connect the iPhone to the computer and open iTunes
  2. Choose to “Encrypt Backup” (this saves the passwords on the device) and then choose to “Back Up Now”
  3. Once the backup is completed, choose the “Restore” option and restore the device from the backup you just made

If your iPhone Camera is still missing at this point, you may have a hardware issue that is not related to updating iOS. If you suspect a hardware problem is causing your camera to go missing, you should visit an Apple Store or call an official Apple Support line to have a hardware problem remedied.

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Posted by: Paul Horowitz in iPad, iPhone, Troubleshooting

26 Comments

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  1. patricia a white says:

    perfect and easy – thank you so much !!

  2. Hitman mehta says:

    Hi . I am facing the same problem since past 10 days . Let me know if you come across any solution

  3. Brian says:

    My iPhone app is also gone and the restricted tab is not there can somebody please tell me how to fix this I’m going crazy

  4. Phyllis mcnabb says:

    My ‘live’ setting on my camera has disappeared. How can I recover?

  5. S says:

    I don’t have EITHER camera OR the safari icon after the new update and would rather cut off my arm than call support ; don’t have computer to backup and naturally no Apple store in 50 miles radius !
    PLEASE someone help me retrieve me camera without having to commit to a 2+ call to support !

    SOS

  6. Dorn says:

    Do any of you have gsuite account emails?

    I just found out that gsuite device management for IOS gives gsuite admins the ability to restrict camera use on driod or ios devices via gsuite adminconsole.

    Admin console > device management >advanced setting > Security

  7. Shael says:

    I also have no restrictions tab under “ general” under settings” but the restore trick worked. My personal opinion is that QA by Apple before they release a new OS or update is abysmally lacking-

  8. Radhika says:

    I have lost the camera icon and there is no restriction tab in general. Please help . Software update to IOS 12

  9. Matthew says:

    iPhone camera is gone and the “restricted” tab is also gone when I go into my “general” tab!!!!!!

  10. Ella S Colborn says:

    Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! …for helping me get the camera icon back on my iPhone home page.

  11. AB says:

    Bizarre! Had turned the camera button off under restrictions as didn’t want camera restricted, but turning it back on instantly restored the camera. Tks

  12. Theresa says:

    Still can’t get camera back on

  13. Khalil says:

    I get camera icon by following restrictions. Thank you and very good

  14. Jeri says:

    My Live photo icon has disappeared on my iPhone 6s plus. How do I restore it?

  15. Julie says:

    I’ve lost the camera function on my keyboard so when I used to send texts I could insert a photo or take one. It doesn’t seem to be in my keyboard options settings since the last iOS update. Does anyone know how I can restore this? Thanks in advance

  16. Leisa says:

    THANK YOU MUCH. Was confused and worried about the app being gone. Your instructions helped me fix it and it was easy to do.
    thank you,
    Leisa

  17. Barb says:

    I lost my camera also yesterday. I was trying to avoid an update because I was busy at the moment. I realized later my camera icon was missing. I have tried unrestricting it, looked for hidden icons and reset the homepage but nothing worked.

  18. Debra miller says:

    My camera icon and camera access has disappeared. Debra

  19. David says:

    Thanks for the tip about the Camera icon. I actually did not have that problem, but I have found since upgrading my iPhone and iPad that something has changed with my ‘Keyboard’ behavior. I used to get suggested words as I typed along… and they are not there anymore. They would appear in a bar above the keyboard window. It is very frustrating to lose that wonderful feature. I was very used to having it and using it.

  20. Wharf Xanadu says:

    iOS updates are kind of a headache these days huh

  21. noah says:

    I’d rather get rid of the camera icon (but keep the APP), since the icon is redundant of the camera icon that pulls up from the bottom of the screen. I know I can bury it in a folder, but “hide” would be a nice feature.

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