This alteration to the API was discovered by XDA editor Mishaal Rahman while going through their review of the Vivo X50 Pro. He noted that this new rule would ensure that any edits to facial structure or smoothing would need to happen only after the photo was taken. As mentioned earlier, this would prevent instances of smartphone cameras from using face altering features in real-time, especially when recording videos.
— Mishaal Rahman (@MishaalRahman) July 16, 2020 It is not clear if this new restriction by Google would affect other facial filters upon implementation, such as those provided by Instagram or TikTok. But it appears that it could only apply specifically to camera hardware rather than software-based features, according to the Android official website. Whether this updated camera API in the upcoming Android release will impact smartphone brands and application developers remains to be seen. Google’s Android 11 operating system is currently undergoing its beta testing phases, and is expected to be publicly released towards the end of this year. (Source: Android official website via Mishaal Rahman / Slashgear / Petapixel)
