user interface How come Android phone makers copied the iPhone camera UI?

[Ertio]

Look at this beautiful camera user interface:

 

screenshot credit: geektech.ie

 

On first glance, you might think "did someone leak the camera user interface of the S25?" - no.

Long-term smartphone users may be able to recognize this user interface.

 

This, ladies and gentlemen, is the camera user interface of the Samsung Galaxy S4. Yes, the S four from 2013.

 

Notice how you could access video recording without having to switch into a video mode. It was right there at your fingertips.

 

At the same time, Apple's flagship counterpart, the iPhone 5s, had this garbage user interface:

 

screenshot credit: ndtv

 

Compared to the majestic camera UI of the S4, this looks like a cheap toy. Most especially, you first have to switch modes if you want to record a video. In addition, the mode switcher is made of vertical text.

 

Look how much better the mode switcher of the S6 looked:

image credit: androidcentral

 

Eight modes on a single page with icons and horizontal text.

 

Unfortunately, in the late 2010s, all major phone vendors started copying Apple's inferior camera UI! Including Huawei, Xiaomi, and then Samsung.

 

screenshot credit: sammobile

 

Now we are back in 2012, where switching between photo and video modes is a thing, like it was on the Galaxy S3.

 

Why did all phone vendors drop their own camera user interfaces in favour of the Apple iOS camera user interface?

[Millios]

Eh i think its more about moving from something that now feels tacky. Yes back then the more "unique" camera UIs were a selling point while now its a retro thing since we've moved to more minimalistic phone UIs .

Dont dislike it but dont miss it either since what most ppl want from a camera is good colors,high resolutions and mostly hardware related things or better software support like the s20 series has instead of reinventing the wheel when it comes to UI

[venomtail]

If I had to choose, I'd those the newer pastel designs. People tastes change. Also the older graphics are associated with tacky, messy early androids that cemented the reputation for nearly a decade.

 

You gotta remember the tech. Back then everyone had normal LCD screens where as now most are moving to OLED, and OLED has a way easier time displaying sharp contrast for button than a metallic gradient. In bright outdoors, on an OLED will be far easier to see a white button on a black background that your metallic gradient.

 

Remember that there's people out there not tech savvy. For them it's easier to have separate modes.

 

Also a camera and video button works great if your phone only has 2 modes. Pictures and cameras. Now we have several lenses, each for a different type of use with different types of processing on how to produce an image. There's no room for 10 buttons, you won't be able to see what you're taking a picture of then. A carousel wheel however has infinite about of possible modes whilst staying the same in size.

 

I think it's less about copying but more about one by coincidence having the right design for a future technology that will be more pleasing to use.

[anirudthelinuxwIzard]

Because android manufacturers specialise in ripping off apples bad decisions.

[Ertio]

  3 hours ago, venomtail said:

There's no room for 10 buttons, you won't be able to see what you're taking a picture of then. A carousel wheel however has infinite about of possible modes whilst staying the same in size.

Photo (still picture) and video (moving picture) are a fundamental distinction.

 

I don't expect a dedicated button for macro or panorama or slow-motion, but video recording should not be more than one touch away.

 

All camera modes can be categorized into photo and video.

 

Because the iOS-like carousel wheel has only space for at most four modes, you have to scroll to reach a mode that is further away from the currently active mode. On an S6-like grid mode selector, you get eight modes with icons on screen, so you can access a far away mode faster.

[Ertio]

  3 hours ago, venomtail said:

If I had to choose, I'd those the newer pastel designs. People tastes change.

Honestly, that doesn't bother me much. The worst offense is that video is a separate camera mode, and the vertical text mode selector. Also, Apple's shutter button is quite small.

[venomtail]

  3 hours ago, Ertio said:

Photo (still picture) and video (moving picture) are a fundamental distinction.

 

I don't expect a dedicated button for macro or panorama or slow-motion, but video recording should not be more than one touch away.

 

All camera modes can be categorized into photo and video.

 

Because the iOS-like carousel wheel has only space for at most four modes, you have to scroll to reach a mode that is further away from the currently active mode. On an S6-like grid mode selector, you get eight modes with icons on screen, so you can access a far away mode faster.

Expand  

But they literally are dedicated buttons? Try it yourself, both functions are into the same center white button. Press to take a picture, hold it and your phone will start recording. Just like in your 2014 reference just two buttons into one. Just about all phones do this these days. No functionality has been taken away. This is a non issue. 

[podkall]

with the photo+video same button page you are forgetting one important current feature there is,

 

can you see the difference?

 

[Ertio]

  3 hours ago, venomtail said:

Press to take a picture, hold it and your phone will start recording

Except that video is in 4:3 and I have to hold the shutter button to keep recording.

[venomtail]

  3 hours ago, Ertio said:

Except that video is in 4:3 and I have to hold the shutter button to keep recording.

That sounds like a your phone issue.

 

With my phone it starts recording in my default aspect ratio and just above the button that turns red to indicate a video has started, is a lock button that when you move your finger to, allows you to remove the fingers and displays default video recording UI. All with one button and I can do it as soon as I open the camera. No need to fiddle around getting the right mode.

[Ertio]

  3 hours ago, podkall said:

can you see the difference?

Sure. The new cameras are bigger, better, and there are more of them.

 

But the best camera isn't useful if I miss out a moment because I had to switch to video mode before being able to start recording.

 

Also, the upper picture is an S3 mini, which has separate photo and video modes too.

[Ertio]

  3 hours ago, venomtail said:

With my phone it starts recording in my default aspect ratio and just above the button that turns red to indicate a video has started, is a lock button that when you move your finger to, allows you to remove the fingers and displays default video recording UI.

Honestly, if it is like that, I'm fine with it.

Much better than burst mode, which I pretty much never used. Unwanted burst shot has also been annoying to me.

 

On earlier phones (until Galaxy S5), holding the shutter button was for focusing by default, and burst mode had to be enabled in the settings.

 

Then, for some years, it initiated burst shot and could not be deactivated.

 

But using it as a shortcut for video is far more useful.

Edited 3 hours ago by Ertio
punctuation

[podkall]

  3 hours ago, Ertio said:

Sure. The new cameras are bigger, better, and there are more of them.

 

But the best camera isn't useful if I miss out a moment because I had to switch to video mode before being able to start recording.

 

Also, the upper picture is an S3 mini, which has separate photo and video modes too.

if you're missing out on a moment often, get a specific camera for those

 

the point is, if the phone uses single lens for both video and photo, you can have same button,

 

but for video right now, you have separate camera,

 

the phone has one camera active for photos, when you switch to video, you switch to another camera, or the phone disables main photo camera

[venomtail]

  2 hours ago, podkall said:

if you're missing out on a moment often, get a specific camera for those

 

the point is, if the phone uses single lens for both video and photo, you can have same button,

 

but for video right now, you have separate camera,

 

the phone has one camera active for photos, when you switch to video, you switch to another camera, or the phone disables main photo camera

Expand  

There is an incentive for phone manufacturers to hide the slowness of switching modes behind something like hiding it on the users actions. Hide the slowness behind needing to switch modes. Imagine it like a hidden loading screen. There's a lot of hidden designs in everything to hide slow actual performance.

[emosun]

  3 hours ago, Ertio said:

This, ladies and gentlemen

well your credibility just went down the toilet

[podkall]

  2 hours ago, venomtail said:

There is an incentive for phone manufacturers to hide the slowness of switching modes behind something like hiding it on the users actions. Hide the slowness behind needing to switch modes. Imagine it like a hidden loading screen. There's a lot of hidden designs in everything to hide slow actual performance.

I notice the stutter of camera switch, because the UI is still faster than my phone switching cams

[podkall]

  2 hours ago, emosun said:

well your credibility just went down the toilet

g'day m'lady

[Wh0_Am_1]

Apple is for better or for worse the standard that everyone uses, and as it turns out they are really good as making a minimalist design looks good and feels timeless... even if it is functionally inferior to their counter parts.