Google Camera APK teardown hints at RAW support and wide-angle distortion correction

A Google Camera app teardown has hinted at some interesting features that could appear in future versions of the app.

Android Police took a look at Google Camera app version 5.3 and found hints that Google could add support for RAW files. Google Pixel devices already support RAW files but users currently need a third party camera app to save them, so it would make sense for Google to add RAW support as a native feature.

The second feature hinted at is one that will correct wide angle distortion on faces. This is important for phones with wide-angle lenses as objects, including faces, can appear distorted if they are at the edge of the picture.

The Google Camera app is the default camera app for Google Pixel and Nexus devices. While the Google Pixel 2 doesn’t have a wide-angle lens, rumors have suggested that the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL will have a dual front-facing camera setup. Perhaps one of these lenses will be a wide-angle one?

Other features hinted at in the teardown include a mode that automatically chooses the best framerate for videos recorded using the camera, and audio recording using more than one microphone.

Before getting too excited, remember that none of these features are guaranteed to be included in future versions of the app. At the very least, though, it reveals some of the things that Google is thinking about.

Next up: 15 best camera Apps for Android