"Android Camera Access Expanded for Third-Party Apps and Samsung's Photo Upgrade Goes Global"
Google is set to introduce support for Ultra HDR images to the CameraX API, allowing third-party apps to capture images with higher dynamic range and richer colors on Android smartphones and tablets running Android 14. Samsung is already utilizing this format in its stock camera app and plans to make it available in third-party apps like Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and WhatsApp, potentially improving the overall camera quality on Android devices. The adoption speed of these new features by third-party app developers remains to be seen, but Google could incentivize quicker adoption by offering concessions in the fees it collects from app developers for in-app purchases and subscriptions.