As we approach the full-fledged release of Android 11, some of the hitherto undiscovered changes in the upcoming version are coming to light. One such change has to do with how third-party apps use the camera on Android 11 devices. As it turns out, users will no longer be able to choose their default camera app under certain circumstances.
Originally spotted by Android Police, Android 11 will not allow users to choose third-party camera apps to take pictures or videos on behalf of other apps. Instead, it will force them to rely solely on the built-in camera app on that phone. On an Issue Tracker thread, a Googler defended the change, saying: “we believe it’s the right trade-off to protect the privacy and security of our users”.
As things stand now, apps that need to use the camera but don’t have a built-in camera app, like barcode scanners, say for instance, ask to use the default camera app on the phone. The system then prompts the user to select their preferred option from a list of installed camera apps on the device, including third-party applications.
However, that is apparently changing with Android 11. If the new report is anything to go by, Android 11 will now automatically select the manufacturer’s pre-installed camera app in the aforementioned scenarios without giving you the option to choose your default camera app. While it is unlikely to be a big deal for most users, power users won’t exactly be happy with the change.
Meanwhile, a report from 9to5Google claims that in Android 11 beta, users can still set a default camera app by double-tapping on the power button. It’s not immediately clear as to whether that option will still be available in the final release version.
