Google Camera can no longer access OnePlus phones’ auxiliary cameras
A lot of inside dynamics have changed at OnePlus ever since Carl Pei took the exit road to start off his own venture. Some moves since then have not gone down well with the passionate OnePlus community, and the latest OxygenOS 12 update based on the Android 12 OS is one of them. The update for flagship OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9 Pro was deemed stable by the OnePlus camp but it was anything like its namesake. There were many bugs, and OnePlus had to halt the rollout mid-way.
Coming back to the unpopular moves by the brand, this update unearthed something that’s not gone down well with the OnePlus community. According to the Google Camera Port Updates Telegram group, the OxygenOS 12 update no longer allows the ultrawide, macro or telephoto lens to be accessible other than the OnePlus’ own native camera app.
So, now the OnePlus phones on the Android 12 OS will only allow the Google Camera mod to let you shoot with the primary lens. In fact, no third-party camera apps will be able to access the auxiliary cameras of the phone.
The OxygenOS 12 update for the OnePlus 9 series, responsible for the change, is basically an OPPO ColorOS spin-off with the OnePlus centric features. The OPPO phones running the ColorOS also have this restriction and we might not see it get reverted back unless there is unrest among the users on the forums.
The only way, for now, to keep using the Google Camera app on OnePlus with the latest OS is to not download the latest update when it is again rolled out. That’s only going to be a temporary fix, as ignoring the latest OS updates can have lingering security and operational loopholes in the software.
The OxygenOS 12 update will also eventually roll out for the older devices, so we should see the same Google Camera app restriction on them too. Users who like the Google Camera ports for OnePlus are surely going to be disappointed by this development.
