Samsung has just introduced a new feature on its Galaxy S21 series that is bound to excite photography enthusiasts. The company has finally enabled support for astrophotography on the Galaxy S21, S21+, and S21 Ultra through its Expert RAW app, which was first introduced on the Galaxy S22 series. With this feature, users can take stunning long-exposure shots of the night sky, stars, and constellations, and even view the location of constellations through the app.

Take long-exposure shots of the stars with Samsung’s Expert RAW app

Although the astrophotography mode was expected to arrive on the Galaxy S21 and S20 series with the One UI 5.1 update, it did not materialize. However, with the latest Expert RAW app update, Galaxy S21 users who have received the April 2023 update can now enjoy this feature. The new mode is set to arrive on other Samsung flagships, including the Galaxy S20 series and the Galaxy Z Fold devices, in the near future.

To take advantage of this feature, Galaxy S21 owners will need to download the latest version of Expert RAW from the Galaxy Store and ensure that their phone has received the latest April 2023 firmware update. However, it’s important to note that the quality of astrophotos largely depends on the clarity of the skies in the user’s region. This means that those living in cities may not get the best results.

In addition to the exciting news about the astrophotography feature on the Galaxy S21 series, there are also rumors circulating about Samsung’s plans to launch the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Galaxy Z Flip 5 earlier than expected. According to sources, the company may unveil these devices as early as July 2023.

Furthermore, CAD renders of the Galaxy Z Flip 5 and Fold 5 have emerged online. Flip 5 will get a renewed cover display design that’s sleeker and more stylish than ever before while the Fold 5 will have a better hinge design this time. While details about the specifications and features of these upcoming devices remain scarce, Samsung fans can expect to hear more news in the coming months as we approach the rumored launch date.

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The Google Camera aka GCam app is part of the core Pixel smartphone experience. Over the years, the internet search giant has introduced useful features for this app with the release of new Pixel phones. Last year, the app got a feature called ‘astrophotography’ with the launch of the Pixel 4 series. This year, the company extended this feature for the ultra-wide camera present on Pixel 5 and Pixel 4a 5G. But now, within months after the release of these handsets, the firm has removed this ability.

For those unaware, ‘astrophotography’ is a long exposure shot mode in the Google Camera app that allows users to click pictures of the stars. This feature requires a tripod or any stand of sorts to obtain great results.

This feature made its debut on Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL. It was even made available for other older Pixels. Google even added support for the ultra-wide camera with the launch of Pixel 5 and Pixel 4a 5G. Though everyone was excited, the results turned out to be poor.

It is a known fact that ultra-wide cameras on smartphones are mostly inferior to the primary sensor. Though the one on the latest Pixels performs well enough in the daylight, it struggles in low light just like on other phones.

Hence, pictures shot in astrophotography mode lack quality compared to the primary camera. Hence, Google has disabled this feature for the ultra-wide camera with the release of Google Camera v8.1.

What are your thoughts on Google removing ‘astrophotography’ for the ultra-wide camera on Pixel 5 and Pixel 4a 5G? Let us know in the comment section below.

UP NEXT: Google Camera Go now allows users to click HDR pictures

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Google always stuns its fans and users by introducing compelling features in the Google Camera App of Pixel devices. They always make a mark by introducing features carved out of AI-based innovative technologies. After introducing Night Mode last year, the search giant introduced Astrophotography Mode this year on Pixel devices. It allows users to take DSLR like photos of stars and other astronomical objects in the sky.

The new Pixel 4 series is incorporated with the new astronomical feature via Google Camera 7.0 app. The feature is officially limited to Pixel devices but some third-party developers have ported Google Camera 7.0 for other devices with working Astrophotography mode. The new feature is currently working on Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset devices. It is boon for the users who don’t own Pixel 4 device but still want to enjoy the Astrophotography mode.

Must Read: Here’s why Google Pixel 4 series isn’t launching in India

Along with the new Astronomical mode, the new Google Camera 7.0 carries various other advancements such as transparent UI, enhanced Night Sight, Motion Blur, AR Photobooth, Audio Zoom, and a few other features.  We expect the new Astro Mode to work on few devices as of now but we expect wider support in the future.

We have listed below the links to the respective Gcam mods for Astronomical features. You can follow the steps below to enable Google Camera Astronomical mode features easily.

Download Gcam Mod for your device

• Poco F1 (Download san1ty mod)
• Redmi K20 / K20 Pro, OnePlus Devices (Download, by Parrot043)
• Redmi Note 5 Pro / 6 Pro / 7 / 7S / 7 Pro, Mi A3 / A2, Zenfone Max Pro M1 / M2 (Download, by Parrot043)
• Realme Devices (Download, by BSG)

Note: It is always recommended to use the original Gcam app for Pixel devices. Gcam version 7.9 is available for all Pixel devices including Pixel 3, 3 XL, 2, 2XL, 1, 1 XL, and 3a (XL).

Make Sure: To make it work flawlessly, your smartphone must support Cmaera2API. Also, Android 9.0 Pie is a must for Gcam 7.0 to work without any issue. 

Steps to Enable Astrophotography Mode on Gcam 7.0

1. Download and Install the respective Gcam 7.0 Mod on your smartphone from the links above.
2. Allow the installation of APK from third-party sources by allowing the prompt if it appears.
3. Open Google Camera App and swipe down to get the settings menu.
4. Now tap the settings icon and scroll down to the developer settings.
5. In the developer menu, enable these three options to enable the Astronomical Mode:

   camera.cuttle.darken
   camera.cuttle.extended
   camera.cuttle.extended_iterable_burst

6. Head back to the main UI of the Gcam app and select Night Sight Mode.
7. Now, swipe down for settings and set Focus to Infinity and timer to 3 seconds for Astronomical feature.
8. We recommend you to use a tripod stand to make Astronomical feature work without any issue. Otherwise, the phone will take a photo in normal Night Sight Mode.
9. Once Astronomical Mode is active, it may take more than a minute to capture the farther objects clearly.
10. It’s done, enjoy!

The astronomical feature automatically gets triggered once you steadily hold the phone. It is always recommended to use a tripod for perfect shots.

That’s it for today and if you have any questions and issues do let us know via the comments below.

Related: Best third-party Night Mode camera Apps for Android

The post How to install Gcam 7.0 with Astrophotography mode on Poco F1, Redmi K20, Redmi Note 7, Realme 5 Pro and other devices appeared first on Gizmochina.