Samsung S20/S21: Document Scanner is Not Working – Quick Fix!

On latest Samsung Galaxy S20 and S21 have a document scanner built into the camera app. It usually detects a document when you place your smartphone’s camera on it. Then you can scan the document using the camera of your Galaxy S20/S21 and send it as a soft copy document to someone or save it on your phone right away.

Some Galaxy S20, and S21 users have reported this feature doesn’t work well on their smartphones. According to them, these are the errors/problems they run into when going to use this feature;

• When they move the camera to the document they want to scan, the usual “tap to scan” button does not appear
• Some people get “document scanner has stopped working” error while scanning the document
• The feature does not exist under the “Scene optimizer” setting on the camera app

If you are having the same problem and the document scanner is not working on your Samsung Galaxy S20/S21 smartphone, this guide will help you to figure out why this happens and how to fix it by following some quick fixes.

Let’s get started.

Note: Solutions mentioned in this guide will also work on other Samsung Galaxy S20 and Samsung Galaxy S21 models.

Editor’s note: We created these instructions using a Samsung Galaxy S21 running Android 12. Depending on your device’s software version, some steps and menu positions may look slightly different.

Why Document Scanner is Not Working on Your Samsung Galaxy S20/S21?

The document scanning feature is built into the camera app, so if it doesn’t work properly (or even entirely), it means the problem exists within the camera app.

This could happen due to a temporary bug that occurred in the camera app on your Galaxy S20/S21. Sometimes, a bug that could come with a software update or an app update can also make such inbuilt features stop working.

Whatever the reason that causes the document scanner to not work or gets missing from your Galaxy smartphone camera app, by following the below solutions, you will be able to recover the feature or make it work again.

Now let’s see what you can do about this issue and how to get rid of it.

Fix 01: Restart the Device

Restarting is the best solution to fix temporary glitches that occur due to the long usage of a smartphone. If you have used your Galaxy S20/S21 for a long time without restarting, doing so will fix the document scanner not working issue. 

There is no special way that you should restart your device. You can do it as you normally would. However, you can use this method too;

1. Press and hold the power + volume down buttons simultaneously until the device starts to turn off.

Fix 02: Update Camera App

You can go to the Galaxy Store and update the camera app to make sure it is up to date.

It is because if the problem is affected by most users, the developers are more likely to release a bug fix for the camera app. Anyway, updating the app assure the stability and overall performance of how the app function. So it is always a best practice to update the apps on your Galaxy S20/S21.

To update the camera app, follow these steps;

1. Open Galaxy Store.
2. Tap on the menu icon on the right.
3. Tap on Updates.

4. See if there is any update available for the camera app. If so, tap on the update icon next to the app.

Fix 03: Clear Camera App Cache

As we always say in our guides, corrupted or outdated cache data can cause various problems when using a smartphone. If this is why the document scanner does not work on your Galaxy S20/S21, clearing the cache should resolve the problem.

To clear the cache of the camera app, follow the below steps:

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap on Apps.
3. From the app list, find and tap on the Camera app.

4. Then, tap on Storage.
5. First, tap on the Force stop button.

6. After, tap on the Clear cache button.

Once you have cleared the cache, open the Camera app and see if the document scanning works again.

Fix 04: Reset Camera Settings

Changing the settings of the camera app affects its features and how it works. If there is any misconfiguration within the camera app that makes the document scanner malfunction, you can reset the camera settings to make it work again, and here is how to do it;

1. Open Camera app.
2. Tap on the Settings icon (a gear icon at the top left corner). 
3. Scroll down and tap on “Reset settings”.
4. Now close and re-open the camera app.

Fix 05: Software Update

As you update the camera app, updating the whole Android system on your Galaxy S20/S21 will help resolve the document scanning feature issue you are facing right now. 

Updating your device is easy. Here is all you have to do:

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap on Software update.
3. Tap on Download and install.

Alternate Solution: Use a third-party Document Scannner App

If you would like to try a third-party app instead of the document scanner of the camera app, you can download Cam Scanner, a popular scanning app for Android. The app also has many useful features that are not included in the document scanner on your Galaxy S20/S21 camera app.

Using the app is pretty straightforward. So we won’t explain it here. However, here is a quick tutorial on how you can use the app to scan documents.

Conclusion

If you have followed the guide correctly, you should resolve the document scanner not working issue on your Samsung Galaxy S20/S21. 

Keep in mind that you can always use the Samsung members app or the Samsung community to get further help from the expert developers of Samsung. 

If you have any questions, leave a comment below. We will be there to answer those questions.

Have a nice day!