Google’s camera software from the Pixel 2 line now works with Samsung’s Exynos SoCs that are found in the international versions of the company’s Galaxy S7, Galaxy S8, and Galaxy Note 8 devices. That’s according to XDA Developers, who reported the new mod after it was posted by XDA Senior Member miniuser123. There are, as is often the case with ports of software designed and built around different hardware, one or two caveats associated with the port. It also goes without saying that the software in question is a mod and will, as a result, require that a user has root access in order to implement it. With that said, it appears to be fairly easy to get working and those interested in checking it out can find full instructions and files via the source link below.
The primary issue that’s likely to bother some users of this mod is that it only works, as of this writing, with the rear-facing primary cameras on Samsung’s Exynos-touting devices. However, some issues are to be expected since this is actually the first reported instance of portrait mode working on Samsung’s proprietary chips and a fix to the problem is currently being worked on. It also might be actually worth dealing with to gain access to the post-processing from those other devices. For those that may not already know, portrait mode automates background blurring effects and creates a more intense focus on a user’s face when taking a selfie. Meanwhile, the mod in question also brings other Google Pixel 2 features, such as lens blur, bokeh adjustment, and high-resolution recording modes. Additionally, it should fix or at least decrease the frequency of crashes caused by enabling HDR+. The second caveat is less likely to be a problem for users looking to get that kind of added functionality. Namely, while the app install and tweaks in the settings menu are relatively easy to get in place, resulting in a seamless integration of the feature, the mode runs slower on Exynos chips than on the Snapdragon SoC it was designed for.
Installing the software, as mentioned above, is fairly straightforward. After installing the APK, users need to navigate to the settings menu and adjust some settings that are only accessible through root access. First, the device’s model needs to be set to Nexus 6 and settings titled “camera.af.debug.show:” and “camera.faceboxes:” need to be switched to off and on, respectively. Next, there is a setting included with the APK called “Portrait mode on all models:” which needs to be set to on.