Skip to main content

How to turn off the camera shutter sound on an Android phone

how to turn off camera shutter sound on your android phone samsung galaxy s20 ultra hands 8 of 11
John Velasco / Digital Trends

One "cha-chick" from your Android phone's shutter while you are shooting a photo of the local squirrel and it's gone. Meant to be like the camera shutter sounds of the past, it can still be annoying and might even sound if you have your phone's volume turned off. Can you mute an Android phone's shutter sound, though? As it turns out, the technique to turn off the shutter sound depends on what Android phone you have, it's brand, and even where you bought the phone.

Here's the best bet for you, depending on your situation.

Difficulty

Easy

Duration

15 minutes

What You Need

samsung galaxy s9 review hands on volume power
Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

Turn down the master volume

Android phones have master volume buttons on the side of the handset that control all volume on the phone, including phone rings, music, and even the shutter click. To quickly disable shutter click sounds, use these master buttons.

Step 1: To do this, tap the Volume Down button while watching the screen volume slider descend and then disappear.

Step 2: Once the volume is all the way down, the phone will switch to a vibrate mode, and then most models will completely silence your phone. Either vibrate or full silence should mute the shutter noise. This option should work with almost every Android phone or tablet, including brands like Samsung, LG, and Google Pixel.

Step 3: Remember to restore volume again when you are done taking pictures if you want to hear your phone ring.

Turn off the camera shutter sound

If you want to turn off all shutter sounds permanently but still desire to hear the other noises and alerts on your phone, there is a more straightforward method to do that. You can find this process in your camera settings.

Step 1: In your phone’s main menu and tap the Camera icon, as you would to take a picture.

Step 2: Locate the Camera Settings — usually a gear icon somewhere at the top of the window.

Step 3: Find an option that says Shutter Sound, Camera Sounds, or something similar. Note that the interface may look a little different, depending on the phone and OS version you have, but this is another setting the majority of Android phones have. This example uses an LG V40 ThinQ running Android 10.

Step 4: Toggle the Shutter sound option to "off" to permanently disable any shutter click sounds until you decide to toggle it on again.

Turn off shutter sound temporarily (Samsung)

This approach typically works with Samsung phones, but please know that not all choices may be available on all Android models. They also may not be on all versions of the operating system.

Step 1: On your phone’s main menu, swipe down from the top to reveal the settings and notifications menu and look for the Volume icon, a megaphone design (it will have a slash through it if sounds are currently disabled).

Step 2: Press and hold the Volume Icon until it opens a menu for Sounds and Vibration. This is a master volume shortcut window that allows you to switch between sound and vibrate. However, it’s the Mute option we’re looking for.

In certain versions of Android, you can tap Mute to find the Temporary Mute option. In newer versions, it’s directly below it. You can use this option to temporarily mute your phone for a certain period of time.

Step 3: Select the time frame that works best for you, and all sound will be muted for that duration. Many people like to use this option for meetings and events, but it’s also a great choice if you’re going to be doing a lot of photography with your phone and don’t want to hear the shutter sound.

Suppose you have an older Samsung phone operating an outdated Android OS version (say, Android 6.0 Marshmallow). In that case, you might not receive the interim option, but instead, follow the same steps as listed above with an interface that simply presents you with the Mute option.

Country restrictions

In some countries like Japan and South Korea, you can’t mute the camera shutter sound no matter how hard you try. Shutter muting is disabled, as phones sold for those markets guarantee privacy to dissuade people from undercover recording. It’s not an actual law, but manufacturers and Japanese phone providers cooperate so that phones make a distinguishing noise whenever you use the camera. Potential workarounds include softening the sound by covering the speaker as you’re filming, using the headphone jack and capturing photos using your headphone as a shutter, and using Android camera apps rather than the default Camera app. Give it a shot if you feel so inclined.

Jackie Dove
Contributor
Jackie is an obsessive, insomniac tech writer and editor in northern California. A wildlife advocate, cat fan, and photo app…
AT&T just made it a lot easier to upgrade your phone
AT&T Storefront with logo.

Do you want to upgrade your phone more than once a year? What about three times a year? Are you on AT&T? If you answered yes to those questions, then AT&T’s new “Next Up Anytime” early upgrade program is made for you. With this add-on, you’ll be able to upgrade your phone three times a year for just $10 extra every month. It will be available starting July 16.

Currently, AT&T has its “Next Up” add-on, which has been available for the past several years. This program costs $6 extra per month and lets you upgrade by trading in your existing phone after at least half of it is paid off. But the new Next Up Anytime option gives you some more flexibility.

Read more
Motorola is selling unlocked smartphones for just $150 today
Someone holding the Moto G Stylus 5G (2024).

Have you been looking for phone deals but don’t want to spend a ton of money on flagship devices from Apple and Samsung? Have you ever considered investing in an unlocked Motorola? For a limited time, the company is offering a $100 markdown on the Motorola Moto G 5G. It can be yours for just $150, and your days and nights of phone-shopping will finally be over!

Why you should buy the Motorola Moto G 5G
Powered by the Snapdragon 480+ 5G CPU and 4GB of RAM, the Moto G delivers exceptional performance across the board. From UI navigation to apps, games, and camera functions, you can expect fast load times, next to no buffering, and smooth animations. You’ll also get up to 128GB of internal storage that you’ll be able to use for photos, videos, music, and any other mobile content you can store locally. 

Read more
The Nokia 3210 is the worst phone I’ve used in 2024
A person holding the Nokia 3210, showing the screen.

Where do I even start with the Nokia 3210? Not the original, which was one of the coolest phones to own back in a time when Star Wars: Episode 1 -- The Phantom Menace wasn’t even a thing, but the latest 2024 reissue that has come along to save us all from digital overload, the horror of social media, and the endless distraction that is the modern smartphone.

Except behind this facade of marketing-friendly do-goodery hides a weapon of torture, a device so foul that I’d rather sit through multiple showings of Jar Jar Binks and the gang hopelessly trying to bring back the magic of A New Hope than use it.
The Nokia 3210 really is that bad

Read more