Mishaal Rahman / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Google is working on a built-in camera shortcut for the Android photo picker, as seen in the latest Android 17 QPR1 Beta 2 build.
- The addition could reduce UI fragmentation by eliminating the need for app developers to create separate camera input points if they are already using the photo picker.
- The photo picker now allows users to delete their search history and this feature is now available in the beta version.
Android’s photo picker was designed to make media sharing safer and more streamlined, but it has long suffered from one glaring omission: you couldn’t actually take a photo from within the interface. This limitation has led to a fragmented user experience across the ecosystem, as app developers have had to implement their own entry points to the camera. However, evidence found in the latest Android 17 QPR1 Beta 2 suggests that Google is finally ready to close this gap with a built-in camera shortcut.
He Photo picker is a component of the Android system that provides a navigable interface for accessing media library content in third-party applications. Apps can use a library to invoke the photo picker, saving them the effort of creating this interface themselves. For users, Photo Picker provides a secure, integrated way to grant apps access to only selected images and videos, instead of sharing access to your entire media library. The photo picker displays media sorted by date, newest to oldest, and recent versions may also display media from certain cloud media providers.
Photo Picker Might Soon Have a Dedicated Built-In Camera Shortcut
Currently, the photo launcher lacks a direct shortcut to launch the device’s camera. You can only choose between media already stored locally or in the cloud, but not click a new photo. Because of this limitation, apps that need this functionality end up with a separate mechanism (usually a button or similar entry point outside of the photo picker) for clicking a new photo.
For example, check out the options in the “Insert” menu of Gmail and Keep. Both apps had to add a dedicated entry point for the camera, although both also incorporate the photo picker.
Because the apps make this decision independently, the resulting UX is fragmented. Notice how the order of the buttons is different in the two apps – it’s a small decision, but one that affects the UX experience on the Android platform, given that this fragmented UX exists in apps from Google and third-party developers.
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It looks like Google finally plans to address this fragmentation by integrating a camera option directly into the photo picker. We’ve found strings in Android 17 QPR 1 Beta 2 that suggest the photo picker could include a camera option:
Some strings also indicate that the camera entry point could be hidden or shown depending on different conditions:
Code
Profile is eligible to show camera
Hide camera entry point because the device is not eligible for the feature
Hide camera entry point because the device does not have an eligible cameraIf Google goes ahead with this change, it would ultimately eliminate the need for in-app camera shortcuts and provide a consistent user experience across apps.
Photo Picker Now Lets You Delete Searches
In Android 17 QPR1 Beta 2, the photo picker now allows you to delete searches. You can long-press a search query entry to delete it.
AssembleDebug / Android Authority
This change is now available in the update.
⚠️ A APK Teardown It helps predict features that may come to a service in the future based on work-in-progress code. However, such planned features may not make it to a public release.
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