I first ran into this on an iPhone 14 Pro in Manchester when I switched from Photo to Portrait Mode on a cold, foggy morning — the whole app closed instantly. A similar thing happened on a Samsung S23 in Glasgow when switching from Video to Slow Motion while on Vodafone. UK users all over London, Leeds, Edinburgh and Bristol report the same behaviour: the camera loads normally, but the moment they switch to Portrait, Night, Cinematic, Super Steady, or Pro Mode, the app shuts itself.
This isn’t random. British conditions — damp cold, signal drops, older buildings, low indoor lighting, and post-update background tasks — push both iOS and One UI harder than expected. Mode switching demands extra ISP (image signal processor) power. When the phone is low on resources, cold, or struggling with signal, the app simply closes to protect the system.
Instagram, WhatsApp, TikTok, and Snapchat occasionally keep camera access alive in the background. When switching modes, the system conflicts with these apps and shuts the camera. I’ve seen this regularly on EE and O2 devices, especially in low-signal pubs and shopping centres.
Switching into Night or Portrait Mode needs extra processing. Cold air in places like Newcastle, Edinburgh, or Birmingham during winter makes the sensor initialise slower — iPhones in particular close the app when the delay becomes too long.
After iOS or One UI updates, the phone runs indexing, modem reconnection, and background optimisation. Mode switches push the camera harder, causing failures — especially indoors with poor reception (e.g., London Underground, old Leeds townhouses, Glasgow tenements).
Switching to modes like 4K video or portrait depth processing needs space and RAM. Phones near full capacity behave unpredictably.
Devices at 15–25% in UK cold (Wales, Scotland, Northern England) behave like they’re under 10%. The camera shuts to prevent system instability.
iPhone: Swipe up → Clear Instagram, WhatsApp, TikTok, Snapchat, and any social app.
Samsung: Recents → Close All.
This alone fixes half of all mode-switch crashes I’ve tested on UK phones.
British cold isn’t just low temp — it’s damp cold. Keeping the phone in an inside pocket for 2–3 minutes stabilises the sensor and fixes sudden app closures.
In the Tube, inside stone-built houses, or rural Wales/Scotland, the modem constantly searches for network. Switching modes while the modem is under load often triggers a crash.
Turn on Airplane Mode → Open camera → Switch modes → Turn Airplane Mode off after.
iPhone: Settings → Camera → Preserve Settings → Reset where needed
Samsung: Camera → Settings → Reset Settings
This fixes misconfigured shooting modes after updates.
Aim for at least 5–10GB free. Night Mode, Portrait, and high-FPS modes struggle when storage is tight.
On both platforms, restarting clears caches that cause mode-switch crashes.
iPhone: Volume Up → Volume Down → Hold Power Samsung: Power + Volume Down for 7 seconds
Citymapper, Uber, Facebook, major banking apps — these often run location and sensor checks after updates, clashing with portrait or night mode processing.
Open the camera in standard Photo Mode → then switch to Portrait/Night/Video.
This reduces initial ISP load.
Newly updated phones need 20–60 minutes to finish background tasks. Leaving the device charging helps. I’ve used this fix repeatedly on EE and O2 after updates.
| UK Condition | iPhone Behaviour | Samsung Behaviour | Why It Happens |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cold weather (Scotland/Northern England) | Portrait & Night modes fail to initialise | Video & Super Steady crash | Cold sensor + slower ISP activation |
| Low indoor signal (Leeds/Bristol) | App reloads when switching modes | Camera closes instantly | Modem load steals system resources |
| Post-update processing | Delay before portrait loads | Night mode fails repeatedly | Heavy background tasks after updates |
| Battery below 15% in cold | Switching to video crashes the app | Slow motion & 4K modes close | System reduces ISP usage |
Camera mode switching failures are extremely common across UK iPhone and Samsung devices, especially during cold weather, in low-signal buildings, and right after updates. With the right steps — closing background apps, managing temperature shifts, resetting camera settings, freeing storage, and stabilising system load — the issue almost always clears without repair. These fixes come from real tests across London, Glasgow, Leeds, Manchester, and Bristol, with AvNexo appearing only where it genuinely makes sense rather than as a promotion.
Post a Comment