News > Phones Rooting the Galaxy Z Fold 3 Disables the Camera Samsung aims to dissuade users from gaining access By Cesar Cadenas Cesar Cadenas Twitter Writer California State University - Long Beach Cesar Cadenas has been writing about the tech industry since 2016 on a variety of topics like cryptocurrency, video games, the latest gadgets, and much more. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on August 24, 2021 12:32PM EDT Fact checked by Rich Scherr Fact checked by Rich Scherr Twitter University of Maryland Baltimore County Rich Scherr is a seasoned technology and financial journalist who spent nearly two decades as the editor of Potomac and Bay Area Tech Wire. lifewire's fact checking process Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email Phones Mobile Phones Internet & Security Computers & Tablets Smart Life Home Theater & Entertainment Software & Apps Social Media Streaming Gaming A new security measure for the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 has been discovered that disables the device’s camera if the bootloader is unlocked. The measure was found by two senior members at XDA Developers, a software development community centered around Android devices. The two users attempted to gain root access to the Galaxy Z Fold 3, only to have the phone’s camera cease to function. David Becker/Stringer/Getty Images This means facial recognition is made unavailable and third-party camera apps won’t work either. A bootloader is software that loads into the memory of a device and comes standard in most operating systems. Utilizing this software can give root access to the device, allowing the user to alter or replace settings, run special apps that require admin-level permissions, or carry out other functions that are normally inaccessible. However, doing so is risky, as it voids the warranty on the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and may make the phone unstable, which can lead to device failure, or "bricking." Rooting is done at the user’s own risk. Justin Sullivan/Staff/Getty Images Samsung already makes it difficult to have root access thanks to its Knox security framework. Trying to gain root access trips security flags on this framework, which can permanently disable Samsung Pay. The senior members later discovered that relocking the bootloader allows the camera to work again, which means it may be possible to detect the parameters that cause the camera to stop working. Such a bypass has yet to be discovered. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Email Address Sign up There was an error. Please try again. You're in! Thanks for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. Thank you for signing up! Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit