If you want to unlock all of the benefits of the Google camera port options, then the first thing you should know about would be the Camera2 API.
In this article, you will get complete information on how to check Camera2 API support on android devices without problems.
The smartphone brands have improved a lot, especially in the software department as well as hardware. But the evolution in the camera section sometimes feels outdated in the older phones since they don’t support those fancy features that appear in modern smartphones.
Although, it’s not a written rule that every phone comes with an exceptional camera experience. However, mainstream brands are doing great in providing better customization attributes for cameras, but it’s not true for most phones.
Nowadays, the user can easily get a google camera mod to enjoy all of those interesting and brilliant perks over their smartphone. But, when you have read about the installation process, you might hear about the Camera2 API.
And in the following post, you will get a whole tutorial on checking whether your phone supports the Camera2 API or not. But before we dive into the instructions, let’s know about this term first!
Contents
What is Camera2 API?
The API (Application Programming Interface) gives developers access to the software and allows them to tweak some modifications according to their wishes.
Likewise, Camera 2 is an android API of the phone’s camera software that grants access to a developer. Since Android is open source, the company launched the API with the Android 5.0 Lollipop update.
It provides valid authority over the camera quality by adding more shutter speed, enhancing colors, RAW capture, and many other aspects of control. Through this API support, your smartphone can push the camera sensor limits and provide advantageous results.
Furthermore, it also renders advanced technology of HDR and other exciting features that are currently dominating the market. On top of that, once you have confirmed that the device has this API support, then you can control the sensors, enhance the single frame, and improve lens results easily.
You will obtain additional detailed information regarding this API on the official Google documentation. So, check it out if you are interested to know more.
Method 1: Confirm Camera2 API via ADB Commands
Make sure that you have already enabled the developer mode on your smartphone and install the ADB command prompt on your computer.
- Enable the USB Debugging from the developer mode.
- Connect your phone using the cable to the Windows or Mac.
- Now, open the command prompt or PowerShell (Windows) or Terminal Window (macOS).
- Enter command –
adb shell "getprop | grep HAL3" - If you get the following results
[persist.camera.HAL3.enabled]: [1]
[persist.vendor.camera.HAL3.enabled]: [1]
It means that your smartphone has full-fledged support of the Camera2 API. However, if it’s not showing the same, then you might need to enable it manually.
Method 2: Get Terminal App to Confirm
- Download the Terminal Emulator app according to your choice
- Open the app and enter the command –
getprop | grep HAL3 - If you get the following results:
[persist.camera.HAL3.enabled]: [1]
[persist.vendor.camera.HAL3.enabled]: [1]
Like the previous method, your device has to gain Camera HAL3 with complete support of the Camera2 API. However, if the results are not the same as above, you need to enable those APIs manually.
Method 3: Check Camera2 API Support via Third-party App
There are various ways to confirm whether the device got the Camera2 API configuration for their smartphone or not. If you are a techie user, you can also utilize the ADB command prompt on your computer to check those details.
On the other hand, you can also download the terminal application on your phone to do so. However, we don’t want you to waste your effort on something time-consuming.
Instead of that, you can download the Camera2 API probe from the Google Play Store and test the result without any further ado.
Through this application, you will obtain all of the details regarding the rear and front camera lenses. With that information, you can effortlessly confirm whether the Android device got Camera2 API support or not.
Step 1: Get the Camera2 API Probe Application
Don’t want to waste your time adding different command lines, then download the following app to check the camera API details.
- Visit the Google Play Store app.
- Enter the Camera2 API probe in the search bar.
- Click on the Install button.
- Wait till the download process takes place.
- Finally, open the app.
Step 2: Check Camera2 API support
Once you have accessed the application, the interface will be loaded with various details in the camera2 API. The camera section is divided into “Camera ID: 0” donated for the rear camera module, and “Camera ID: 1”, which usually refers to a selfie lens.
Right below the camera ID, you have to check the Hardware support level in both cameras. This is where you will know whether your device supports Camera2 API. There are four levels that you will see in that category, and each of them is defined as followed:
- Level_3: It means that the CameraAPI2 is providing some extra perks for the camera hardware, which generally includes RAW images, YUV reprocessing, etc.
- Full: It refers that the CameraAPI2’s majority of functions are accessible.
- Limited: As the name referred, you are getting only a limited amount of resources from the Camera API2.
- Legacy: It means that your phone supports the older generation Camera1 API.
- External: Offers similar perks as the LIMITED with some drawbacks. However, it allows users to use external cameras as USB webcams.
In general, you will see that your phone will receive a green tick on the FULL section of the hardware support level, which means your smartphone is suitable for installing google camera ports, aka GCam.
Note: If you notice that the hardware support level on the Legacy section is showing a green tick, it means that your phone doesn’t support camera2 API. In that case, you have to apply the manually enable method, which we have covered in this guide.
Conclusion
I hope you have learned the importance of the Camera2 API support on android phones. Once you have verified the API information, don’t waste your time installing those third-party google camera ports over your device. It’s a great example that the software end is precisely needed to improve the camera results.
Meanwhile, if you come across any doubts, you can let us know about them through the comment box below.
