News: Snapchat 'Upgraded' Its Android Camera Quality with 10-Year-Old Software
You may have noticed improved photo quality in the Android Snapchat app in recent months. Believe it or not, this is because Snapchat only just recently started using a decade-old camera API that predates every Android phone in existence.The basic premise of APIs is simple — they're tools that the operating system provides to let apps make use of hardware and other system functions. With that in mind, let me explain why Snapchat is taking better photos recently, but is still far from being a high quality camera app for Android.
Camera2: The API Most Photo Apps UseAndroid actually has a robust camera API that apps can use to control your phone's cameras at a very deep level. If leveraged properly, Camera2 API will allow an app to control manual exposure, ISO, shutter speed, focus, and even capture RAW images using your phone's camera hardware, among other features.Camera2 API made its debut in Android Lollipop, so every phone running 5.0 or higher supports it. Since Lollipop was announced nearly 4 years ago, more than 82% of all Android devices in the world can take advantage of the top-notch photo capabilities in Camera2 API.However, Snapchat only supports Camera2 API on select phones. The only device we're able to confirm is the Pixel 2, as Snapchat leverages the Pixel Visual Core in this device, which requires Camera2 API support to use.Don't Miss: The Next Big Thing in Smartphone Cameras is Machine Learning
Camera1: The API Snapchat Is Finally Starting to UseA Snap Inc. spokesperson confirmed to us that the Android Snapchat app is now starting to use Camera1 API on many devices. This API was last updated in early 2008 with Android API level 2, which didn't even have a dessert-themed codename or version number because it was a prerelease version of Android.In other words, the camera API Snapchat is currently using on most devices was finalized before commercially-available Android phones even existed. It's since been deprecated (read: abandoned) as of June 2014, because Google would prefer that apps use the newer, more robust Camera2 API.Before the recent updates that brought in Camera1 API support, Snapchat was effectively taking a screen grab from your camera's viewfinder as a workaround so that it didn't have to use any Android camera APIs at all. This was an effective method for supporting as many Android devices as possible, but the image quality it produced was infamously bad. Snapchat's old no-API capture method compared to Instagram. To be clear, updating their app to use Camera1 API instead of this old workaround was a huge step in the right direction. It's largely why so many users have recently reported a bump in image quality. But still, that bump could've been bigger had Snapchat chosen to use the newer Camera2 API.An interesting aspect here is that, in using Camera1 API, Snapchat isn't getting many benefits for the front-facing camera — the camera many Snapchatters use most. This is because Camera1 API was written before most phones had front cameras, so it doesn't provide tap-to-focus or other selfie cam enhancements.There are some technical limitations to Camera2 API, which is probably why Snapchat has opted to use the older API for now. Some lower-end phones running Lollipop or higher don't have full support for the newer camera API. In these cases, doing simple things like requesting to turn on the camera flash can cause the app to crash. However, Snapchat could get around these issues by coding their app to access Camera2's varying levels: Legacy, Limited, Full, or Level 3.
Snapchat's Quality Improved, but There's a Long Way to GoNow that Snapchat is at least using Camera1 API, we decided to test it against itself. We installed an older version (10.3) on our Galaxy S6, which as best as we can tell does not use Camera2 API on any Snapchat version. We took a picture with v10.3, then updated to the current Snapchat version and took the same picture again to see how much of a difference the recently-added Camera1 API made.Ignore the slight differences in exposure level (though that's a byproduct of not using the camera to its full potential) and focus more on the details and clarity. The newer version provides a greater HDR-like balance as well. (1) Snapchat 10.3 using no camera API on the Galaxy S6. (2) Snapchat 10.29 using Camera1 API on the Galaxy S6. However, we took that same picture again using the Instagram app, which does take advantage of Camera2 API on the Galaxy S6. If you look closely, you'll see that Snapchat still has a ways to go in order to close the gap in picture quality. (1) Snapchat 10.29 using Camera1 API on the Galaxy S6. (2) Instagram using Camera2 API on the Galaxy S6. To put it another way, there's a clear difference between Snapchat's old method of grabbing a still image from the camera feed when compared to the new method of using Camera1 API. But they're still not close to matching the image quality of Instagram and other apps using Camera2 API. We started investigating this issue again for two reasons. First, user reports surfaced that Snapchat was asking for permissions using the granular Android 6.0+ model. This is a step in the right direction, and another example of Snapchat finally using Android tools properly, but it's not an indication of Camera2 API support.The second reason we started looking into this issue was because Snapchat started a new ad campaign marketing itself as A New Kind of Camera. We were hoping this meant their rumored revamped Android app was ready and image quality had improved to Instagram levels, but Snapchat is still quite literally a decade behind.Don't Miss: Try These 5 New Snapchat Lenses This Weekend: Yodeling Walmart Kid, Loading Screen & MoreFollow Gadget Hacks on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Flipboard Follow WonderHowTo on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Flipboard
Cover image and screenshots by Dallas Thomas/Gadget Hacks
Heartbleed, move over. There's a new bug in town, and this time it's also affecting Mac and Linux computers. It's called Shellshock (its original official title is CVE-2014-6271), and it's currently got a 10 out of 10 severity rating over at the National Cyber Awareness System.
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Set a timer on your watch or phone, to limit the amount of time you spend on social media. Choose a limit depending on the severity of your addiction - say an hour a day, which equates to seven
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An iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch (technically it needs to be running iOS 3.0 or higher, but that's everyone in the world these days). Apps that support push notifications, including those that come pre-loaded on the device.
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Windows XP makes backup copies of your system files which may use a lot of space on your harddisk. To empty the system file cache, click on Start > run Now enter the command "sfc /purgecache" and click on "Ok".
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You can use Maps's Mark buttons to add pins and even save places permanently as favorites. To mark your current location, do the following: In Maps, tap the info button (looks like an i) in the upper right corner of the screen. In the resulting popover, select Mark My Location. A red pin will appear on your map.
Use Maps on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch - Apple Support
How To: The Galaxy S8's 'Adapt Sound' Feature Makes Your AKG Headphones Actually Sound Premium How To: Use Samsung's Hidden Hearing Test to Get Drastically Better Sound Quality from Your Galaxy How To: Boost Headphones Volume on Your Galaxy S6 Edge
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How passcode security lockout works. iOS comes with built-in passcode protection that locks any intruder out after a few passcode attempts. Six-failed attempts give you a 60-second lockout and the lockout period continues to increase with the number of failed attempts.
Understanding iOS passcode security | Macworld
Tutorial - Change Galaxy S8, S8+, or Note 8 Navigation Bar Color. Follow this tutorial in order to set up ADB on your Windows, Mac, or Linux PC.; Open up a Command Prompt or Terminal window and
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Tap Remove Email Address to confirm. You will no longer receive calls with this FaceTime email address on any of your Apple devices. The email address can be added to your account again if you desire to do so later. You can also disable an email address for your iPhone only.
How to Add Another Email Address to FaceTime - OS X Daily
osxdaily.com/2015/11/12/add-another-email-address-facetime/
If you juggle multiple email addresses for various purposes on iPhone, iPad, or Mac, you may find it useful to add additional email addresses for FaceTime. This allows you to both call out from another email address, and perhaps more importantly, you can also receive inbound FaceTime calls for the
How to Add Another Email Address to FaceTime on iPhone and Mac
About Nick Epson . Nick's background in computer science at Indiana University eventually shifted to Microsoft studies then transposed into a series of different jobs until he returned to his hometown of South Bend, IN.
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