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Remove Camera Restrictions on Your Galaxy S6 for Higher Quality Photos

May 29, 2015 06:46 PM
Aug 25, 2015 08:00 PM
Person taking a photo of a cyclist with a smartphone.

The Galaxy S6 already has one of the best cameras on the market, but a few minor annoyances still linger. Full-sized photos are stored with heavy compression that can cause artifacting, burst mode shots aren't taken at 100% quality, and the camera flash cannot be used when your battery is below a certain threshold.

Developer Abdul Mannu was bothered by these minor quirks, so he created a mod that will remove all of the above-listed restrictions. In addition to that, his mod will even increase the bit rate for all video modes and allow you to record clips up to 30 minutes in length instead of the stock 5 minutes.

Requirements

Download the Flashable ZIP

To make things a little easier, I created a flashable ZIP out of Mannu's work. This ZIP can be flashed with either a custom recovery, or Chainfire's new FlashFire app, which won't trip the KNOX counter on your device.

To begin, point your device's web browser to this link, and the file should begin downloading automatically. It may save as a JAR file, but if that happens, just change the extension to ZIP instead.

Remove Camera Restrictions on Your Galaxy S6 for Higher Quality Photos
Rename file dialog box on a mobile device.
Remove Camera Restrictions on Your Galaxy S6 for Higher Quality Photos
Rename file dialog box on a mobile device.

Delete the Camera ODEX Files

Next, you'll essentially need to deodex your camera app. As complicated as that may sound, it's actually really easy—you'll just need any root-enabled file browser to do it.

First, head to the root partition of your device, which is the highest folder you can get to in the folder tree. From here, head to the "system" folder, then the "app" folder inside of it. After that, scroll through the list and enter the "SamsungCamera4" folder.

Remove Camera Restrictions on Your Galaxy S6 for Higher Quality Photos
Remove Camera Restrictions on Your Galaxy S6 for Higher Quality Photos
File directory view on a mobile device showing various folders and files.
Remove Camera Restrictions on Your Galaxy S6 for Higher Quality Photos
Remove Camera Restrictions on Your Galaxy S6 for Higher Quality Photos
File directory view on a mobile device showing various folders and files.

Next, make sure to mount this folder as read/write so that you can make changes to the files it contains. After that, long-press the "arm64" folder, then choose "Delete" and press "OK."

Remove Camera Restrictions on Your Galaxy S6 for Higher Quality Photos
Remove Camera Restrictions on Your Galaxy S6 for Higher Quality Photos
Menu options for file management on a mobile device.
Remove Camera Restrictions on Your Galaxy S6 for Higher Quality Photos
Remove Camera Restrictions on Your Galaxy S6 for Higher Quality Photos
Menu options for file management on a mobile device.

Install the Camera Mod

With the camera ODEX files now deleted, you're ready to flash the ZIP. Since this can be done with either a custom recovery of the FlashFire app, I'll outline both processes below.

Custom Recovery Method Method

From TWRP's main menu, tap the "Install" button to begin. Next, navigate to your device's Download folder, then select the ZIP file you downloaded from Step 1.

Remove Camera Restrictions on Your Galaxy S6 for Higher Quality Photos
Smartphone displaying a screen with technical settings.
Remove Camera Restrictions on Your Galaxy S6 for Higher Quality Photos
Smartphone displaying a screen with technical settings.

After that, just swipe the slider at the bottom of the screen to install the mod, and when that's finished, tap "Reboot System."

Hand interacting with a smartphone screen displaying a fingerprint recognition feature.
Smartphone screen displaying a system interface with options highlighted.
Hand interacting with a smartphone screen displaying a fingerprint recognition feature.
Smartphone screen displaying a system interface with options highlighted.

FlashFire Method

If you'd prefer to install this mod with FlashFire to preserve your KNOX counter, start by heading to the Actions tab in the side navigation menu. From here, tap the + button at the bottom of the screen, then select "Flash ZIP or OTA."

Remove Camera Restrictions on Your Galaxy S6 for Higher Quality Photos
Screenshot of a mobile app interface with options for backup and subscription upgrade.
Remove Camera Restrictions on Your Galaxy S6 for Higher Quality Photos
Screenshot of a mobile app interface with options for backup and subscription upgrade.

Next, use the file browser to select the ZIP file, then tap the checkmark at the top of the screen.

Remove Camera Restrictions on Your Galaxy S6 for Higher Quality Photos
Settings menu for auto-complete options in a mobile application.
Remove Camera Restrictions on Your Galaxy S6 for Higher Quality Photos
Settings menu for auto-complete options in a mobile application.

At this point, you'll be sent back out to the Actions menu. From here, tap the "Flash" button at the bottom of the screen, then press "OK" on the popup.

Remove Camera Restrictions on Your Galaxy S6 for Higher Quality Photos
FlashFire app loading information pop-up with options to cancel or confirm.
Remove Camera Restrictions on Your Galaxy S6 for Higher Quality Photos
FlashFire app loading information pop-up with options to cancel or confirm.

After installing the ZIP with either method, your camera app will look and behave exactly the same as it always has, but the images and videos you capture with it will all be of higher quality.

How noticeable are the improvements? Can you tell the difference without zooming in on a photo or video? Let us know in the comment section below, or drop us a line on Android Hacks' Facebook or Twitter, or Gadget Hacks' Facebook, Google+, or Twitter.

Cover image via Samsung

The next big software update for iPhone is coming sometime in April and will include a Food section in Apple News+, an easy-to-miss new Ambient Music app, Priority Notifications thanks to Apple Intelligence, and updates to apps like Mail, Photos, Podcasts, and Safari. See what else is coming to your iPhone with the iOS 18.4 update.

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