There could be a few reasons why your playback screen is black, thankfully this is a common problem that can be solved in a few minutes without having to hire a professional to fix it.
Have you checked for any updates on the app and Eufy Firmware? Have you checked for any loose connections or faulty batteries? Maybe your recording limit is exceeded, or the storage card is full.
It could even be that your camera needs to be restarted or even reset. Whatever the reason is there is a fix to it that you can do yourself.
Read below to find the most common reasons for why your Eufy playback screen is black.
Why is Eufy Playback Screen Black?
When your playback screen is black, you may think that your Eufy camera is not recording, however this usually isn’t the case. But if you suspect it, I’ve done an article that’ll help you with this.
1. Eufy Firmware is Out of Date
The first step you should take when you see that your Eufy playback screen is black is to check to see if you need to do an update on the Eufy firmware.
If your Eufy playback screen is black it could be because of a glitch, updates fix glitches that may be present in your device.
Having your firmware updated will let your Eufy camera perform at an optimal level. Read below to see how you can update your Eufy firmware.
Fix – Update Eufy Firmware
Doing a firmware update on your Eufy device can help clear any glitches that may be present in the device causing the playback screen to go black. Doing a firmware update can solve the issue of your playback screen going black. Follow the steps below to perform a Firmware update on your Eufy camera.
- Go to your Eufy Home app and log into your Eufy account if you have not already.
- In the Eufy Home app go into the Settings.
- Select the Camera that you want to update.
- Tap on the Firmware page.
- Follow the in-app instructions to update your Eufy camera to the latest version.
2. Loose Connections/Unstable Power Supply
Having your Eufy playback screen black can be annoying. If you have updated the firmware on your Eufy camera and your playback screen is still back your next step should be checking if any wires are loose.
If you have your Eufy camera connected to an outlet make sure that outlet is good. If you have a battery in your Eufy camera make sure the battery is not defective.
If you have a loose wire or a faulty battery this can cause your Eufy playback screen to be black due to an unstable power supply. Follow the steps below to see how you can solve this issue.
Fix – Check For Loose Wires and Faulty Battery
If you have your Eufy camera connected to a direct power supply check to see if there are any loose wires. If you have loose wires this can cause an unstable power supply that may be the cause of your Eufy playback screen to appear black.
If the wires are loose, secure the wires, and if the issue is not with the wire check to see if the outlet you have the camera plugged into is good. If you are unsure about the outlet you are using, try using a different outlet and see if that solves the issue.
If your Eufy camera uses a battery check to see if the battery is dead or low powered. If your battery is low-powered or even low-quality this can cause issues with your Eufy camera.
The best thing you can do is replace the battery, make sure it is compatible with your Eufy camera and it is new and good quality.
3. Eufy Camera Needs a Restart
If you are still experiencing issues with your Eufy playback screen being black and you have checked the connections of the wires and updated the Eufy camera firmware. The next step you should do is restart your Eufy camera.
Restarting your Eufy camera can clear any glitch that can cause the issue with your Eufy playback screen being black. Read below to see how to restart your Eufy camera.
Fix – Restart Eufy Camera
Restarting your Eufy camera can clear any glitches that may be causing issues with your camera. One of the most common issues that happen is the Eufy playback screen being black. Doing a restart may solve this issue and get your screen working once again. Follow these easy steps to restart your Eufy camera.
- Go to your Eufy camera that is experiencing the issue.
- If the Eufy camera is directly connected to a power source then unplug the camera from the power source.
- If your Eufy camera has a battery, remove the battery from the camera.
- Wait a few seconds before you bring power back to the camera. Either be plugging the cords back in or reinserting the battery.
Doing this will reboot your camera, and see if your playback screen is black. If this did not solve the issue read below on what else you can do.
4. Storage Card is Full
When all of the steps above do not work, another thing that you should do is check if the storage card in your Eufy camera is full.
When your storage card is full it will not be able to record any more new videos and can cause your playback screen to go black. There is a way you can check to see if the storage card is full and a way to clear it.
Fix – Clear/Replace the Storage Card on Your Eufy Camera
You can check your storage card on the Eufy Home app to see if you have any remaining storage left. If the storage card is full this can cause the issue of your playback screen turning black. In your Eufy Home app go into the “Video Storage” section.
If it is full you can clear the storage by deleting videos, if you do not want to delete any videos you can purchase a new storage card from Amazon. Insert the new storage card into the camera and see if this solves the issue.
Note, another thing that you can check is if the recording time is exceeded, then the recording time is exceeded this can also cause your black playback screen.
Check under the setting in your Eufy Home app to see if the issue is the recording time exceeding. You can adjust the time and personalize the settings to see if this will solve the problem.
5. Eufy Home App Needs an Update
Like all devices and apps, the Eufy Home App needs to be updated from time to time. Doing an update on the app can clear any glitches that can cause issues, like a black playback screen. Updating the Eufy Home app can help keep the apps and the devices connected to this app working at their best.
Fix – Update Eufy Home App
If you are still experiencing a black playback screen and you have done the steps above, try updating the Eufy Home app. Updating the app is just a few easy steps, read below to update the Eufy Home app.
- On your mobile device go into the Google Play or App Store.
- Go into the Updates settings.
- Scroll down to see if the Eufy Home app needs to be updated.
- If it does need to be updated follow the onscreen instructions to update the app.
Note, if this does not work you can also try uninstalling the Eufy Home app and reinstall it to see if it clears the black playback screen.
6. Eufy Camera Needs a Reset
After you have tried all the steps above and the playback screen is still black there is one thing you can try before you contact the customer service team. You can do a factory reset on your Eufy camera which is giving you the problem.
Doing the factory reset will clear any bugs that can be causing the black playback screen. This will set your Eufy camera to the default setting and you will have to reprogram it as if it is the first day you bought the camera.
Fix: Factory Reset Eufy Camera
Follow these steps to do a Factory Reset on your Eufy camera.
- On your Eufy camera find the reset button.
- Press and hold the reset button on your camera for about 10 seconds.
- Release the button and allow your camera to do the reset.
- Once it is done, set up your camera again and see if this solves the issue.
7. Replace Eufy Camera Or Contact Support
If you’ve tried all of the fixes above and you still can’t get your camera to work, you can try replacing it.
I personally use the Eufy S210, which I picked up from Amazon.
Note: Only pick up a new camera if you’re convinced the one you currently have has too many issues. There’s no point in picking up a new camera if the problem with your current camera can easily be fixed.