Vik
TLDR: Android 15 to introduce the ‘Eyes Free’ feature, bringing enhanced video stabilization to third-party camera apps, potentially elevating Android phones to rival iPhone’s video capture capabilities.
Eyes Free Feature to Elevate Third-Party Camera Apps
Android 15 is poised to introduce enhanced video stabilization for third-party camera apps, potentially transforming the best Android phones into formidable video competitors against the top iPhones.
Mishaal Rahman, a code-diver at Android Authority, discovered that Android 15 is set to receive a new ‘Eyes Free’ feature, which will be added to Android’s existing Camera2 API. This API allows third-party camera apps to access extensions that phone makers have implemented into their devices.
Eyes Free: Locking and Stabilizing Regions of Interest
Eyes Free marks the first Android camera extension that can be utilized in video capture. According to its description, Eyes Free “aims to lock and stabilize a given region or object of interest.”
From Rahman’s report, we can infer that Eyes Free will bring the video stabilization found in devices like the Google Pixel 8 Pro and Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra to video-centric third-party apps such as Snapchat and Instagram.
Harnessing Advanced Camera Features in Third-Party Apps
Alongside video stabilization, third-party apps could tap into various features facilitated by the Camera2 extension, including:
- Auto detection
- Bokeh
- Face retouch
- HDR
- Night modes
These features enable users to leverage the camera and recording options in third-party apps without compromising quality. In the absence of such capabilities, users would need to capture photos and videos in their phone’s native camera app and then upload them to a third-party app, rather than shooting directly within the app.
Phone Makers’ Camera Pipelines and Eyes Free’s Potential Impact
It’s important to note that phone makers can implement their own camera pipelines for third-party apps. However, the introduction of the Eyes Free feature could significantly boost videography on Android phones in general, bringing it closer to the level of video capture offered by the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro through non-native apps.
Android 15’s Video Capture Enhancements
While Eyes Free may not be the most significant upgrade Android 15 is expected to bring, it signifies a potential shot in the arm for video capture on Android phones. Historically, iPhones have been regarded as the leader in smartphone videography, with Google and Samsung phones not quite matching their image quality and ease of use.
Android 15’s improved video stabilization for third-party camera apps could be the key to elevating the best Android phones to true video competitors against the best iPhones.
Exciting times ahead.
As Android 15 continues to develop, we can anticipate further enhancements to video capture capabilities, narrowing the gap between Android phones and their iPhone counterparts in terms of videography prowess.
Add comment