Dark or colored spots in photos on Samsung phone or tablet

Open the Camera app, and then tap Flash at the top (the lightning bolt icon) to open the Flash settings. For the Galaxy S25 series and devices running One UI 7.0 and above, tap the Quick controls icon (the four dots), and then tap the Flash icon.

Tap your desired icon to enable the setting. You can choose from:

• Flash: Off (lightning bolt with a strike through it). Turn the Flash function off.
• Flash: Auto (lightning bolt next to an A). This will automatically enable the flash for every photo until you turn it off.
• Flash: On (lightning bolt). Turn the Flash function on. Flash will activate for every picture, even in brightly lit areas.

Tap Flash: On or Flash: Auto if you are in a dimly lit area.

If your environment is well-lit, you may set the camera to Flash: Off instead.

Tap the Settings icon again, and then swipe to and tap About Camera. Check if any updates are available; tap Update if one is available.

If there are no updates available, your screen will read "The latest version is already installed."

1. On your device, navigate to and open Settings.
2. Swipe to and tap Software update or System updates. It will vary between models.
3. Tap Download and install or Check for software updates. If an update is available it will begin downloading, though you may need to tap Download now on some devices.
   
   
4. When the download is complete, follow the on-screen instructions to install the update.

You can also check for updates using Smart Switch.

• Make sure the phone or tablet is connected to the internet and charged to at least 50% before installing a software update.
• Some carriers require a Wi-Fi network connection and will not allow you to update using mobile data.
• If an error occurs during a software update and your phone or tablet keeps restarting, learn how to get out of a boot loop.
• If your phone or tablet doesn't have enough storage space, you can clean up your storage with Device care. You can also back up extra files using Smart Switch or your Samsung or Google account.

If you were having issues before the software update, use the phone or tablet normally to check if the problem has been solved.

Certain downloaded apps can make your phone or tablet freeze, crash, or lag. Some apps can even affect camera functionality, cause audio issues, and affect network connectivity.

Using Safe mode disables all downloaded apps and loads only the original software that came with your phone or tablet, allowing you to determine if the issue is caused by an app or with the device itself.

If the issues do not appear while in Safe mode, the problem is caused by a downloaded app, and it should be uninstalled.

First, open the Power menu:

• On devices with a regular Power button, press and hold the Power button until the Power menu is displayed.
  
• On devices without a dedicated Power button, swipe down from the top right of the screen to open the Quick settings panel. Tap the Power icon at the top of the screen.

Touch and hold Power off until the Safe mode icon is displayed. Tap Safe mode to start your device in Safe mode. If you've entered Safe mode successfully, you'll see “Safe mode” displayed at the bottom of the screen.

Use the phone or tablet normally to see if the issue has been resolved. If the phone or tablet is operating normally, a recently installed app was most likely causing the issue.

• If the issue is gone in Safe mode: One of your recently downloaded apps was likely the cause of the problem. Proceed to Step 4.
  
• If the issue still exists: Downloaded apps may not be the cause of the problem. You may need to reset the phone or tablet to its factory setting.

One by one, uninstall any apps you downloaded just before your phone or tablet began having the issue.

From your Home screen, swipe up to open the App drawer. Find the app you want to remove, and then touch and hold the app's icon until a popup menu appears. Tap Uninstall, and then tap OK to confirm.

After uninstalling each app, exit safe mode and check for normal operation.

After you uninstall the app that caused the issue, you can reinstall the other safe apps you just deleted.

First, open the Power menu:

• On devices with a regular Power button, press and hold the Power button until the Power menu is displayed.
  
• On devices without a dedicated Power button, swipe down with two fingers from the top of the screen to open the Quick settings panel. Tap the Power icon at the top of the screen.

Tap Power off to turn off the device. Wait until the phone or tablet completely turns off, and then press the Power button again to turn it on. Check if the issue has been resolved.