Google Photos Readies 10-Bit HDR and Ultra HDR Camera Controls [APK Teardown]

Contents hide

What to know
10-bit HDR and Ultra HDR get separate controls
Selfie mirroring determines how the final shot looks
Location saving includes a permission prompt

What to know

Google Photos is preparing separate 10-bit HDR and Ultra HDR settings for its in-app camera.
Other controls let you choose how selfies are saved and whether photos and videos include location information.
Google Photos 8.1.0.1016919706 adds explicit HDR support warnings and a location-permission dialog.

Google Photos’ plans for an integrated photo and video camera have already been described publicly. The new finding is a more detailed set of capture settings: our teardown found strings explaining HDR support, how front-camera shots are saved, and permission handling for location tagging.

About APK teardowns — An APK teardown examines an app’s files for features still in development. These findings reveal what a developer is working on, but plans can change or be dropped before release. Strings alone do not establish when a feature will become available.

10-bit HDR and Ultra HDR get separate controls

The settings name 10-bit HDR and Ultra HDR individually, with an unsupported-device warning for each. That establishes distinct options with device-support checks, though the strings do not identify supported phones.

Each HDR label has its own matching warning:

photos_flowers_settings_ten_bit_hdr_title = "10-bit HDR"

photos_flowers_settings_ten_bit_hdr_unsupported = "10-bit HDR is unsupported by the device"

photos_flowers_settings_ultra_hdr_title = "Ultra HDR"

photos_flowers_settings_ultra_hdr_unsupported = "Ultra HDR is unsupported by the device"

Selfie mirroring determines how the final shot looks

The “Mirror front camera” setting covers both photos and videos. Turning it on preserves the orientation you see in the preview. Turning it off flips the saved result so text and subjects don’t appear reversed.

The descriptions spell out what happens when you save:

photos_flowers_settings_mirror_front_camera_title = "Mirror front camera"

photos_flowers_settings_mirror_front_camera_on_info = "Does not flip the final photo or video when saved, so it looks just like the camera preview"

photos_flowers_settings_mirror_front_camera_off_info = "Flips the final photo or video when saved, so text and subjects don’t appear reversed"

Location saving includes a permission prompt

A “Save location” control is accompanied by a dialog asking whether to save location information with Photos. The message directs you to your device’s settings to grant location permission and refers to both photos and videos.

The prompt also includes an “Open settings” button:

photos_flowers_settings_save_location_title = "Save location"

photos_flowers_settings_location_permission_dialog_title = "Save location info with Photos?"

photos_flowers_settings_location_permission_dialog_message = "Turn on location permissions in your device’s settings to see the locations where your photos and videos were taken"

photos_flowers_settings_location_permission_dialog_open_settings = "Open settings"

These controls would let you decide how the camera saves your shots, from HDR and selfie orientation to the location information attached to them.

Related on NerdsChalk