[edwcross]

The article does not mention much about firmware.

The main reason I stopped using Lineage is because I got a Pixel and wanted to keep maximum picture quality with it. Open-source photo applications, from what I understood, cannot access all of the hardware features to get photos as good as Google's app.

Is it enough to get the Google Camera APK somewhere else and use it? Or do I really need to keep the OS as Google intended, in order to get best picture quality? I don't have the time lately to do much tinkering and compare it by myself.

[palata]

> The main reason I stopped using Lineage is because I got a Pixel and wanted to keep maximum picture quality with it.

I think if you get a Pixel, then you should use either Stock Android or GrapheneOS. I don't see the point in using something else.

> Is it enough to get the Google Camera APK somewhere else and use it?

With GrapheneOS, you can install the Play Services, the Play Store and then the Google Camera. I would be surprised if that wasn't enough. In fact I would be surprised if you needed more than the Camera APK. But like you, I haven't made the comparison. Would be interesting!

[netdevphoenix]

>With GrapheneOS, you can install the Play Services, the Play Store

Why use GrapheneOS if you are going to install Google Services anyway? The whole point of Graphene is to have a fully locked down OS that still works as it should. A mobile fortress basically. Installing Google Services defeats the point imo as it opens multiple security holes in the fortress.

May as well just install the stock os. At the end of the day, once Google stops shipping sec updates for your phone, firmware updates stop so that's it really. Graphene cannot give you the firmware updates anyway. And at that point, you have a vulnerable phone. I think graphene os makes more sense if you go all in. Otherwise there is no much point really.

[sharts]

I think the same issue was had if you used an Xperia phone long ago (I think mine was an XZ1c). It was really disappointing that the camera was worse if not using official software due to DRM keys or what not.

[piperswe]

The Pixel Camera app is on the Play Store, and I was able to install it just fine on my Pixel 8 running GrapheneOS (inside a separate profile running Google Play Services, not my main profile)

[helpfulqmaybe]

The google camera app should be enough. It's commonly done on GrapheneOS. But the GrapheneOS camera app uses some of the same hooks so it's not as far from Google Camera as some others.