Google Pixel 3 December Update May Fix Pesky Fatal Error In Third-Party Camera Apps

Last month a rather strange issue turned up with the Google Pixel 3 family of smartphones that caused the device to produce a fatal error in third-party camera apps. That meant that if you tried to snap a photo via Snapchat, for instance, you would be greeted with a camera error message and a camera that wouldn't work again until the phone was rebooted. Needless to say, this has been an annoying issue for Pixel 3 users.

Some affected owners are claiming that the December Pixel 3 update has fixed the fatal camera error. Pixel 3 users have posted about their successes with the December update in this primary support thread for the issue, however, there are some reporting that the fatal camera error continues to plague their device even after the update is applied.

Google did write in the December security bulletin that patch A-110969183 was intended to improve camera capture performance on Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL, Pixel 3, and Pixel 3 XL devices, but didn't state that patch was specifically for the fatal camera error. Google has yet to recognize the issue officially or to officially state that one of the patches it has released is to fix the problem.

This fatal camera error in third-party apps isn't the only issue that Pixel 3 owners have had to deal with. The smartphone also had a problem saving images in some circumstances. The workaround for that issue was to turn off HDR, and the photos would save. Google did eventually acknowledge that image save issue and announced that a fix was incoming. One of the more bizarre bugs seen on a smartphone caused the Pixel 3 XL to grow a second notch.