Running the Google Pixel Camera app on a robustly de-Googled cellphone
11 days ago
- #Graphene OS
- #Google Pixel
- #Photography
- De-Googled phones running Lineage OS or Graphene OS may produce lower quality photos compared to stock camera apps.
- The Google Pixel Camera app can run on Graphene OS without Google Play Services and with restricted permissions for improved privacy.
- Pixel Camera does not require Google Play Services as of November 2025 and works with network and location permissions disabled.
- APK sources like APK Mirror can be used to install Pixel Camera on non-Google phones, though caution is advised.
- Pixel Camera defaults to Google Photos for image viewing, but alternatives like the Google Photos stub for CalyxOS exist.
- Pixel Camera may offer better image quality due to post-processing like unsharp masking and local contrast adjustments.
- Open-source camera apps may lack features like panorama and motion blur found in Pixel Camera.
- Pixel Camera saves images in DNG format, though it may not be true raw sensor data.
- Smartphone cameras generally underperform compared to DSLRs or compact cameras like Sony’s RX100 series.