How do I mute the camera sound on my Samsung?

Most modern smartphones come equipped with a high-end camera for capturing life’s moments. When taking a photo, a shutter sound effect plays to indicate that the picture has been captured. While many people don’t think twice about the shutter sound, some users find it undesirable and are interested in disabling it for quieter picture-taking. On Samsung smartphones, the camera app has a built-in shutter sound that activates whenever the capture button is pressed. While this shutter sound cannot be fully removed on certain Samsung models, there are a few possible workarounds to mute it in different situations. This article provides methods on how to mute or disable the camera shutter sound on Samsung smartphones.

Why Does the Camera Make a Sound?

The iconic clicking sound that cameras make originated from old film cameras that had a physical shutter mechanism. The shutter would open and close rapidly to expose the film to light for a fraction of a second to capture the image. This mechanical movement of the shutter blades produced an audible clicking or snapping sound.

According to photo.stackexchange.com, the shutter sound was kept for electronic cameras to mimic the familiar experience of using a film camera. It provides auditory feedback to the user that a photo was taken.

The shutter sound also serves a privacy purpose. The noise indicates to those nearby that a photo is being taken, preventing secret unauthorized photos. Laws in some countries actually require camera phones to make a shutter sound for this reason.

Samsung Camera Sounds

Samsung Galaxy phones have shutter sounds enabled by default when taking photos or videos with the camera app. This is a software feature implemented by Samsung for all regions, except for models sold in Japan, India, and South Korea where regulations require camera shutter sounds to be enabled (Galaxy Camera: How Do I change the Shutter Sound?). The camera shutter sound plays each time a photo or video is captured regardless of phone volume levels.

According to Samsung, the camera shutter sound cannot be fully disabled due to privacy laws and regulations in certain countries (Cannot disable camera shutter sound on Samsung phone). However, there are some workarounds to mute or lower the volume of the shutter sound which will be covered in this guide.

Disabling the Camera Sound

There are a few different ways to disable the camera shutter sound on Samsung devices. The steps may vary slightly depending on the specific model.

On newer Samsung models like the Galaxy S22, open the Camera app and tap on the Settings icon in the top left. Then toggle the “Shutter sound” option off to disable the sound (Source).

For Samsung phones running One UI 2.0 or later like the S10, open the Camera app and tap the Settings icon. Go to “Camera sounds” and toggle off the “Shutter sound” option. This will mute the camera shutter noise (Source).

On older Galaxy models, open the Camera app and tap on the Settings cog icon. Go to “Shutter sound” and select “Off” to disable the camera shutter sound.

So in summary, newer Samsung phones allow muting the sound directly in the Camera app settings. For older models, dig into the Settings menu to find the camera shutter sound option and turn it off.

Settings Menu Method

One of the easiest ways to disable the camera shutter sound on your Samsung phone is through the Camera app’s Settings menu. Simply open up the Camera app and tap on the Settings icon, which looks like a gear and is usually found in the top left corner.

Once in the Settings menu, scroll down and look for the “Shutter sound” option. Tap on the switch next to it so that it turns grey and the shutter sound is disabled. According to Samsung’s support page (https://www.samsung.com/us/support/troubleshooting/TSG01002007/), this will mute the shutter sound so your phone’s camera can silently capture photos and videos.

The Settings menu method is convenient since it allows you to quickly toggle the camera sound on or off as needed. Just remember to open the Camera app, access Settings, and flip the Shutter sound switch whenever you want to change the camera sound settings.

Third Party Apps

As an alternative to changing the settings on your Samsung device, you can download and use third party camera apps that allow you to mute or turn off the shutter sound. Apps like Silent Camera are designed specifically for taking photos quietly by disabling any camera sounds.

The advantage of using a third party silent camera app is that you don’t have to change any settings on your actual Samsung Camera app. The silent camera app operates independently and takes photos without making a shutter sound. This allows you to mute the sound when you need to, while still having the standard camera sound enabled on the Samsung Camera.

Some popular silent camera apps include Silent Camera, No Shutter Sound, Mute Camera and Quick Shot. Most of these apps are available for free or inexpensive download on the Google Play store. So if you only need to disable the sound occasionally, downloading a separate silent camera app just for those situations can be a handy solution.

Airplane Mode

A simple way to mute the camera shutter sound on your Samsung phone is to enable Airplane Mode. According to a Reddit user, when Airplane Mode is turned on, the camera shutter sound is muted even if you can’t find the option to disable it in your phone’s Settings (Source).

Airplane Mode disables all wireless connections including WiFi, Bluetooth, cellular data, NFC, and GPS. This prevents any radio interference with sensitive equipment when flying in an airplane. An interesting side effect is that it also mutes camera sounds.

To enable Airplane Mode on a Samsung phone, swipe down from the top of the screen to open Quick Settings and tap on the Airplane icon. You can also find it in Settings > Connections > Airplane mode. With Airplane Mode enabled, the camera shutter sound will be muted. Just remember to disable it again when you need to make calls or access the internet.

Custom ROMs

One way to completely disable the camera shutter sound on Samsung devices is by installing a custom ROM. Custom ROMs are modified versions of the Android operating system that replace the software your phone came with. Many custom ROMs have built-in options to disable camera sounds (source).

To install a custom ROM, your Samsung device must be rooted. Rooting gives you administrative rights to modify system-level software. Popular custom ROMs like LineageOS and CyanogenMod make it easy to toggle the camera sound off. Just go into the system settings and disable the camera sounds option.

The main downside to using a custom ROM is that you may lose access to some Samsung-specific features that rely on the manufacturer’s software. You’ll also need to redo your full phone setup after installing the custom ROM. Overall though, a custom ROM provides the most surefire way to mute camera clicks on a Samsung permanently.

Summary

There are a few different ways to mute or disable the camera shutter sound on Samsung devices. The main methods covered in this guide are:

Using the Settings menu – Go to Sounds and vibration > Camera sounds and select Off.
Installing third party camera apps – Apps like Open Camera and Footej Camera allow you to take photos silently.
Enabling Airplane mode – This disables all audio, including the camera sound.

Installing a custom ROM – Advanced users can install a custom ROM like LineageOS to gain more control and mute camera sounds.

The Settings menu method is the simplest for most users. Third party camera apps work well too but may lack some Samsung software features. Airplane mode and custom ROMs offer more flexibility but require extra steps.

Conclusion

In summary, there are a few different methods you can try to mute or disable the camera shutter sound on Samsung devices. The easiest options are to toggle on Airplane mode or mute your device sounds before taking photos. For a more permanent solution, dive into the Settings menu of your Samsung phone to change the Camera sounds option to mute. You can also download third party camera apps that allow muting the shutter sound.

Keep in mind that built-in camera shutter sounds are required by law in certain regions, so muting may not be possible depending on your Samsung model and location. The methods outlined in this guide can help you troubleshoot muting the camera sound, but results aren’t guaranteed for every user. With some trial and error, you should be able to find a reliable way to discreetly take photos without the camera sound on your Samsung.