I hope you have come to know about Google Camera but you are confused about where and how to start. If you really want to get the most out of GCam Port, you’ve come to the right place. In this article, you will get a complete tutorial on GCam tips Tricks, and troubleshooting guides. Read on carefully to get the most out of the Google Camera app.
Let’s dive into the well of knowledge on GCam tips, tricks, and troubleshooting!
How to Install Google Camera?
This is the best and most popular camera app ever which has been trending for many months due to its futuristic features. But if you are looking for a guide to install GCam APK then check out our super simple and complete guide.
Which Version is Best to Use?
We have always told you, readers, to use the latest version of the GCam port, but you can use an older GCam port depending on your Android phone version. Finding a perfect Google camera for your phone hardware is a bit difficult.
Understand GCam Port Package Name
There is no single developer who made the GKAM port. There are a variety of modders on the market offering the same version under different names. If you find that the version is the same but the package is different. This is because the developer has fixed bugs and added some new features to the APK.
The name of the package indicates the smartphone for which it is designed. For example, org.codeaurora.snapcam works best for OnePlus phones, so most tech writers recommend it for the first OnePlus device. If you find any other name on the package, it means that it works best for that specific smartphone.
Their different versions have different features, so all offer different features from each other. You can test a wide range of features and compare which one gives the best results for you.
Which Package Name Should Choose?
Simply put, there is no hard and fast rule for choosing a package name, the most important thing is to choose the right version. You should choose the latest GCam app from our list as it is the latest version with fewer bugs and a better UI experience. However, for some the APK doesn’t work so they should use another version
As we said earlier, if the package name has Snapcam or Snap, it will work great with OnePlus, while the Samsung name, will work smoothly with Samsung phones.
But many brands like Redmi, Xiaomi, Asus, and others have custom ROMs that do not fall into the restricted category. These allow using any package name to access Google cameras of the phone without any problems.
Why I can’t install the GCam App?
If you are unable to install the GCam app, it is a sign that the app is not compatible with your Android phone, maybe the file got corrupted with the stable version. The second most common reason is that you have already installed the GCam port, first remove it to get the new port.
Why is GCam App Crashing Immediately After Opening?
The most common reason for the GCam app crashing is your phone’s hardware incompatibility, which means Camera2 API is not enabled on your phone. This version is not designed for your phone and does not support GCam even after the Android update and many more.
Let’s take a look at each reason to overcome the issues.
- Camera2 API does not support;
Camera2 API is one of the major factors of GCAM port crashes. If your phone has API disabled and has limited access, in that case, you cannot download the Google Camera app. However, you can try to enable those APIs by routing guide if you want.
- Compatibility of the phone hardware;
There are a large number of smartphones that do not support the Google Camera app due to hardware limitations (older smartphones). If you are trying multiple times then you can try GCam Go port which is designed for entry-level and older-generation phones.
- App version compatibility;
It doesn’t matter if you have the latest Android version or not. Still, some APK files will not work on your phone. So you should take time to choose the best GCam version according to your smartphone model for a stable and comfortable photography experience
- Phone setting is not supported;
If GCam stops working after adding a configuration file or changing settings, you may need to try resetting app data and reinstalling the app to fix the crashing issue.
Why is GCam Crashing after Taking Pictures?
This does not happen with everyone, but if this problem is happening again and again with you, then I want to focus your attention on two special things. Follow the steps and check.
- Motion Photo: This feature is not available in many smartphones. If you see it in your Google Camera app, please disable it for smooth usage.
- Incompatible Features: The smooth functioning of the GCam app depends on the hardware and processing power of your phone. Your phone hardware may not be able to support GCam internally.
Note - If you are not getting this problem then you should choose another Google camera app to enjoy the features easily.
Why can’t view photos/videos from inside GCam?
Every smartphone has an inbuilt gallery app which makes it easy to save photos/videos but sometimes this gallery app is not properly synced with Google Camera due to which you may not see the recently captured photos or videos. The most efficient solution to this problem is to use the Google Photos app, which works well with GCam.
How to fix overexposed photos with HDR mode?
With Google Camera you get a great feature called HDR, take a look at it.
- HDR Off – With this setting, you’ll get standard camera quality.
- HDR On – This is an auto mode that works fast and is capable of delivering good camera results.
- HDR Enhanced – Designed to give you the best camera results but with slightly slower processing.
There are a few more versions that support HDRnet which are found in this article and they have replaced all three modes. Anyway, if you want the best results then use HDR Enhanced or just want faster results on HDR features.
Slow Motion Error/Issues?
We have found in your experience that this feature only works with some smartphones, but let us tell you that it gives unsatisfactory results and crashes quite often.
If you’re using an older Gcam version, you’ll find the frame number, such as 120FPS, or 240FPS, in the settings menu to adjust the speed accordingly. Whereas in the new version, you get the option of speed in the viewfinder to adjust slow motion.
However, if it is not working for you, you should choose the Open Camera app:
- Install it
- Go to Settings
- Find Camera API
- Select Camera 2 API.
Now go to video mode and adjust the speed; recommended to reduce the speed from 0.5 to 0.25 or 0.15.
Importent: Slow motion feature is broken in GCam 5 or lower port, it will be stable if you are using GCam 6 or higher port.
Stuck in HDR processing?
There are some major reasons for this problem, see the list below;
- Native GCam application is not being used.
- You’re using the latest Android version, but Gcam is still on an old version.
- Gcam processing has stopped/slowed down due to some interference.
Highly recommended if you are using an Android 10+ phone, must use the GCam 7, GCam 8, or latest version for better results.
It often happens that problems with HDR processing trigger the background usage limit of a smartphone brand. If this is happening to you then it is recommended to turn off the battery-saver mode in the phone settings.
Next, you might not be using the original version of GCam, I believe it might be a clone of the app that is causing the GCam processing issue. In this case, the processing will get stuck, but to get rid of this problem it is recommended to download the official APK version.
How to use Motion Photos?
This is a great feature that allows you to create a short video before and after taking a picture. It’s almost like a GIF. Let’s know about the Motion Photo use process!
Requirements
- Need an official Google Photos app to view those photos.
- Find GCam versions that support this feature like GCam 5 or above.
- Your device is updated to Android 8 or above.
- It works only when you have turned on HDR.
Limitations
- You can see videos only in Google Photos, also won’t be able to share on WhatsApp or Telegram.
- The file size is big, so turn off the features if you want to save storage.
How to use it
Just open up the GCam app, and click on the Motion Photo icon to smoothly record a picture to get the best results. In some versions, you will find this feature in Settings.
Crashes
Both the UI Camera app and the Google Camera app are different, which is why GCam crashes when you’re using the Motion Photo features. Sometimes it also happens that it is not possible to record full resolution.
There are also some GCam versions that come with pre-set resolutions that you can’t change, it totally depends on the phone processing power that you get. If you want to avoid those crash problems, we recommend turning this feature off permanently.
How to Use Astrophotography?
Simply go to your Google Camera settings and enable Astrophotography. This mode is forcibly activated when you are using Night Sight mode.
There are also some versions in which you will not find this option in the settings menu, as it is directly linked to the night vision mode. However, this will only work if the device is completely stable.
How to Use Multiple Cameras?
Some developers have introduced GCam versions that support both front and rear cameras, including secondary cameras such as wide angle, depth, telephoto, and macro lenses.
However, all of these features are dependent on your supporting smartphone and require a third-party camera app to access them accurately.
You simply go to the AUX feature from the camera settings menu so that you can easily switch between different lenses without any issues.
HDRnet/Instantaneous HDR: Overheating and Quality
Here you can get the HDRnet algorithm name of new features that are available in some Google Cameras. It is just as functional as HDR behind the scenes and provides exceptional results.
Although it produces great results, there are some drawbacks to using it compared to HDR+ Enhanced.
- This will reduce the quality of the dynamic range.
- Battery life will run out.
- Overheating problems in older phones will occur.
But talking about the worst part of it, it will not show old frames and it can give totally different result from what you clicked.
We believe this is not a good compromise, although processing will be faster at the cost of average quality. You will be better off using HDR+ On or HDR+ Enhanced which is better than HDRnet to give the end result.
Another piece of advice is to test this feature on your phone, it is unlikely to be a problem if the phone hardware supports it. If no change is seen then disable this feature for stable usage.
What’s AUX in Google Camera?
AUX is known as an auxiliary camera, it serves to configure Google Camera to use multiple camera setups if the smartphone allows. With this, you will get the widest range of photography benefits under the hood as you can also use the secondary lens to capture quality results.
There is a problem with all use of the camera lens, if you have AUX settings enabled in your phone, you need to root and flash AUX Camera Enabler Module.
How to Use Playground / AR Stickers
Many devices support ARCore. If your device is among them, you can access the Playground features from the official Google Camera app. Simply download Google Play Services for AR to your phone, and open Playground or AR Stickers to modify those 3D models in your smart device.
But if your device does not support ARCore, then you have to download those modules manually, which ultimately pushes the device toward rooting. However, we don’t recommend doing this in the first place.
What are “Lib Patcher” and “Libs”
Both have been developed to adjust the smoothness of details and the noise level and contrast of colors. Also, add/remove glare to shadows and many other things at the same time which works effectively.
Some versions support both and some support only one or none at all. It would be recommended to explore the Gcam settings menu to access both features.
- Libs: It modifies the image quality, contrast, details, etc., and is developed by modders. If you want to adjust these then it is difficult as these modification values cannot be changed manually.
- Lib Patcher: It is also created by a third-party developer. But in this feature, you can manually change it based on personal preferences to make it best for different camera sensor hardware which will be more detailed photos or smoother photos.
Why Can’t I Load Libs?
Original Google Camera has default libs but when it comes to the GCam port version only a few libs are supported. Often these files get updated and stored locally without any problems.
If you are having problems then it is a clear indication that the download has failed and the file needs to be updated again. Click Get Updates Here.
If still everything is fine from your side then visit the GitHub.com page for more information and try to find the solution.
On the other hand, if you want to use this feature, we suggest downloading the parent version of Google Camera.
How to set up Google Camera? (XML/GCA/config files)
Our website is about the dedicated Google Camera app, all the information which we have included in the main article. It is important that you know how to load and save .xml files for GCam.
How to Fix Black and White Photos?
Although this problem is very annoying, the solution is just as simple. All you have to do is go to the Settings menu apply the changes and restart the app. This would be the best solution.
How to use GCam without GApps?
Some smartphone brands do not support Google Play Services, Huawei being the most prominent. This means that you will not be able to run GCam on those Android devices.
However, there’s a loop you can use to drive Google Camera on your phone. If you prefer use the MicroG or GCam service provider apps so that you can run the Google proprietary libraries and emulate the required process.
What is Google AWB, Pixel 3 AWB, etc?
Pixel 3 AWB has been developed by the famous BSG and Savitar so that Google Camera can maintain Auto White Balance (AWB) similar to Pixel phone’s color calibration instead of using the Android phone’s stock camera app information.
Although some Androids come with Pixel 2 AWB or Google AWB in the settings menu of the camera app. Yet it makes photographs more attractive by combining natural colors with proper white balance.
We all have different preferences so in our opinion check it out with your phone and then decide if it is best for you or not.
What is PseudoCT?
“PseudoCT” is a toggle whose function is specifically to manage AWB and help increase the color temperature.
What is “Shasta”?
“Shasta” affects image quality when you are taking photos in low light. This is combined with the app to precisely control the green noise seen in images, and higher values also yield the highest results with the Astrophotography mode.
What is Saber?
It is a merge method created by Google that adds more details to the photos taken as well as enhances the overall camera quality of certain modes like Night Sight by improving the sharpness of the photos.
Many GCam users refer to this as “super-resolution” because it allows for increased detail in each shot, although it can also be used to reduce pixels in HDR and zoomed photos. It is only supported by RAW10 but if you use any other RAW format, Google Camera crashes after taking a photo.
Saber is another problem, it doesn’t work with all camera sensors, if you are facing such an issue then disable Saber and restart the app for a smooth experience.
What is a Buffer fix?
This is commonly used to fix the viewfinder lag seen on some phones. Its biggest drawback is that you have to double-click the shutter every time you want to click a picture.
What is Hexagon DSP?
Actually, it is the image processor of SoCs (processors), it is designed for better processing power without hurting battery life. If you enable this feature it will increase the performance. It works fine on most of the phones but some have problems with it.
There are many applications with the tag of NoHex, while some apps allow it to enable or disable Hexagon DSP according to your needs.
What is black level?
Black Level is designed to improve low-light photography results and custom Black Level values can easily correct greenish or pinkish images. In addition, there are also some GCam versions that provide custom values to further refine each color channel such as dark green, light green, blue, red, blue, etc.
What is Lens Shading Correction?
You’ve sometimes found dark areas in photos taken, it helps to fix the dark area in the center of the picture, also known as vignetting.
What is Hot Pixel Correction?
This usually refers to white or red dots on the pixel plate of the picture. This feature can somewhat reduce the number of hot pixels on an image.
What is Pixel 3 Color Transform?
It is designed to create DNG images, which ultimately helps to slightly adjust the colors. The CameraAPI2 code replaces SENSOR_COLOR_TRANSFORM1 with Pixel 3’s SENSOR_COLOR_TRANSFORM2.
What are HDR+ parameters?
Actually, HDR works as a merger that merges different numbers of frames or photos before giving the final result. You can select this feature with up to 36 frame parameters through the Google Camera app for higher and better results.
With this feature, the processing speed is a bit slow, the best frame option is 7~12 which is usually excellent for normal photography.
What is Default GCam CaptureSession?
This feature is available for 9+ Android smartphones. It is used to capture images from the Camera app or to reprocess an image captured earlier in the same session. If you want in-depth details visit the official site.
What is an HDR+ underexposure multiplier?
Use this feature if you want to modify the exposure. After enabling HDR+, you can set multiple exposures between 0% and 50%, it’s just a matter of finding the best value that works best with your smartphone.
What are Autoexposure correction and Correction Night Sight?
Both cameras are built to control and adjust shutter speed, especially when you’re taking pictures in low light. Longer shutter speed with GCam for better exposure results. But here is a catch, both works only on some phones as well as app crashes have been found quite often.
What is the Metering Mode?
It is specifically designed to measure the illumination of scenes in the viewfinder, although it does not affect the final results. But it definitely affects how dark or bright the viewfinder area is.
There are multi-function variants of this feature, while some do not work well. It totally depends on your Android phone software configuration and hardware.
What is Select ISO Priority?
Google recently updated GCam and we found this code, but unfortunately, no one knows what happens. Some experts have found that this affects the viewfinder configuration, and have recommended avoiding it as it is not as useful for photography.
What is Recompute AWB?
This is similar to other AWB settings that do auto-white balance but sadly it’s only some devices that are compatible with the features. You can see the difference by enabling various AWB settings to see the difference.
It is possible that different GCam versions give different results. You may need to disable other AWB settings for this feature to work properly.
Lens Blur vs Portrait Mode
Lens blur we have seen in many smartphone cameras is an old technique people do this to click Bokeh effect photos which focus on the object.
But in our experience either doesn’t always give good results and sometimes the object itself appears completely blurry. Same if we talk about portrait mode, it gives great results almost every time it is launched in place of lens blur. There are several developers on the market that provide both features for version-wide results.
How to change your phone’s fingerprint?
Just install the MagiskHide Props Config module from the Magisk manager and then reboot your phone.
After that, follow this step-by-step video guide on how to change your phone’s fingerprint to Google.
Is it possible to improve processing speed?
When you capture an image from Google Camera Mod it starts working to give you the best final result, it goes through many photo frames which takes some time, depending on your phone processor, This usually takes 5 to 15 seconds.
If your phone processor comes with high processing speed then it will give results in less time but an average chipset may take some time to process the image.
GCam’s processing takes a lot longer than stock. The stock camera quality is much better after processing. Try getting CalixOS to effectively reorder processing times, but we don’t recommend doing this the first time.
We believe that most of the users are not aware of this. We recommend waiting until CalyxOS integrates with this system app from Google Camera.
What is Video Bitrate?
Bitrate refers to the number of bits per second of a video. The higher the bitrate, the better the video quality and the larger the file. However, if your phone’s hardware is weak then it will have difficulty in playing high-bitrate videos. For complete information about this, we can go to Wikipedia.
Some developers have created Google Camera Mod that gives you the power to change the video bitrate. However, these are already on the default or auto setting which is more than a fair amount of usage. If this setting is not giving you good video quality then you can tinker with the value to get the best result.
What is JPG Quality and JPG Compression?
JPG determines the size of the image file, it is a lossy image format. If the file size does not exceed 85%, the size is less than 2MB, but when it crosses the 95% threshold, the image file size will increase to 6MB.
If you are using JPG compressed image size that comes with less resolution and fewer details. Maintaining storage space is beneficial.
But the picture needs the best allure which comes with a high resolution. If you want better GCam quality with lots of details in each show, you should prefer the lower JPG compression option to higher JPG quality.
What is face warping?
This is about fixing Google Camera lens distortion when the subject’s face is distorted. You can enable or disable this feature as per your requirement.
What is instant_aec?
This feature is the Camera2 API code for Qualcomm chipset devices. However, even after a lot of research, not much information has been found about it.
We have found that Instant_aec improves image quality, especially on some devices, but it is true that this does not apply to all smartphones as well as other versions. If you want to play with it, you are free to do so.
Here we found that the AEC backend of the Arnova8G52 version has only three settings is below:
0 – Disable
1 – Set aggressive AEC algo to the backend
2 – Set fast AEC algo to the backend
Missing or Deleted Photos Bug
By default on smartphones, photos are stored in the /DCIM/Camera folder. But some GKam port versions allow you to save photos to the main share folder. The name of this folder is Dev.
If the photos have been deleted due to a bug, restoring them will not make any difference. In our opinion, it is best to stay away from using shared folders and use the default option.
Sometimes it happens that your smartphone is not able to scan the storage for new files. If you are using a third-party file manager then in our experience we have found that it can delete those files as well.
Inspect and immediately delete what automatically deletes your photos or files in some way. If you find that this does not resolve your issue, we recommend that you report the issue to the developer.
How to Fix Green/Pink Blurred Photos?
This happens when Google Camera mode is not supported with your Android phone camera. Actually, this is a common thing that happens only with the front camera.
To remove the green or pink blurring on the photo, the model should be changed from Pixel (default) to Nexus 5 or something else, restart the app and your issue should be resolved.
Can GCam save photos/videos to an SD card?
No, Google Camera is not designed to save your photos or videos directly to the SD card. This is because there is no such setting available in the Camera app yet.
However, using any third-party apps to transfer files as per your wish does not harm the phone or the app.
What is DCI-P3?
The DCI-P3 technology developed by Apple enhances vibrant colors and delivers amazing photo results. Some GCam port variants offer DCI-P3 options for better color and contrast. Get the best pictures without any problems if you set it up with the camera menu.
If you’d like, you can learn more about those color spaces on the Wikipedia page dedicated to DCI-P3.
How to take a mirror selfie?
If you are using the old GCam Mod, a mirror selfie is not possible with it. But you can also take mirror selfies without using a third-party photo editing app. Mirror Selfie is possible with Google Camera 7 or above versions for which the option is available in the settings menu.
How to save portrait-mode photos to the main folder?
If you’re using the latest version of the GCam port, go to About > Advanced Settings to find the option to save to your phone. It will be something like this saved inside the main /DCIM/Camera directory.
However, this feature is not available in all GCam ports, so there is a high chance that you may lose your saved portrait photos. So make the right decision before enabling this setting.
If you prefer, you can pick up a third-party app from the XDA Developers and save your favorite portrait-mode photos.
What Difference Between GCam 5, 6, 7, etc?
When the Google phone was launched, the Google Camera version was released along with the new phone, although the big tech experts of that time did not give it that much space. But time passed and new technology kept giving it a new dimension, which made Google Pixel phones accessible, Google Camera was included in them for its futuristic features.
Google Camera is constantly updating with features that used to be there before that time. Each GCam update is known based on its release like 5, 6, 7, or 8 that we have today.
However, all the features are not available for the Smartphone as it completely depends on what hardware and OS (ROM) it supports.
New updates always surprise you but they don’t support the old version of GCam Mod. Apart from this, there are also factors like compatibility, quality, and stability that matter the most.
The latest version may not be the best deal with older smartphones. Also, not all versions will work with non-Google smartphones, so choose the version that best suits your needs.
If your device has the latest Android and high processor then always use the latest version of Google Camera Apk.
How to Clone GCam App?
We have written an in-depth guide on this that teaches you how to clone the Google Camera app. Second, you can do this with the help of the Cloner app by downloading from the Google Play Store.
How to Save Error logs?
It is not easy if you are a beginner. Here is a complete guide to how to save logs files and share error logs with developers. You can use MatLog software for it but need to root your device.
Helping Forum, Telegram & Reddit Groups For GCam Issues
There are several groups on Telegram and Reddit that share issues and information related to the Google Camera port. Go to Telegram or Reddit and you can easily find them.
The XDA developer forum is the best forum where you will find people who are using the same port or have a similar smartphone.
What is Camera Go / GCam Go?
Google Camera is good for beginner smartphones but if you expect those features of the original GCam then it is not available.
But this will give you reasonable stability with better camera quality on a regular basis. According to tech experts, some brands present this app as a stock camera application.
The best part of Camera Go is that it runs without the Camera2 API< which is required for GCAM. Here you find the list of Google Camera Go.
Conclusion (GCam Tips Tricks And Troubleshooting)
I hope you have come to know all the tips, tricks, and troubleshooting related to Google Camera issues. If you’re still having trouble with this, let us know or search the GCam forum.
