Pixel Camera
Hacker ApprovedRanked 3 of 8 camera apps by recommenders
Recommended for good photos and full hardware use, and it works on GrapheneOS with network access denied. Critics say it forces Google Photos as the gallery.
Recommended for good photos and full hardware use, and it works on GrapheneOS with network access denied. Critics say it forces Google Photos as the gallery.
16 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 12
- criticize it
- 4
- approval share
- 75%
Recommended in 5 of 13 months
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it carries the badge
- 12 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 3 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 5 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Works on GrapheneOS
“You can run the proprietary Pixel camera software on GrapheneOS just fine (properly sandboxed).”
Comment from 17 Feb 2026 in “GrapheneOS – Break Free from Google and Apple” “You can use Pixel Camera on GrapheneOS even without sandboxed Google Play in the same profile”
Comment from 17 Feb 2026 in “GrapheneOS – Break Free from Google and Apple” “You can even use the proprietary Pixel Camera on GrapheneOS and just deny network permissions”
Comment from 6 Mar 2026 in “Open Camera is a FOSS Camera App for Android” - Comment from 4 Mar 2026 in “Motorola GrapheneOS devices will be bootloader unlockable/relockable”
- Comment from 18 Nov 2025 in “Comparing Android Alternatives: Lineage OS, ∕E∕OS, and Graphene OS”
Full features with no issues
“I didn't notice any issues with Camera except for not being able to open the photo just taken from the camera interface.”
Comment from 2 Mar 2026 in “Setting up phones is a nightmare” “The Pixel camera app works, including all modes and settings.”
Comment from 17 Feb 2026 in “GrapheneOS – Break Free from Google and Apple” Good photos and hardware use
“I resort to using Pixel's camera app with internet permission disabled to be able to take advantage of my hardware.”
Comment from 6 Mar 2026 in “Open Camera is a FOSS Camera App for Android” “it takes beautiful pictures but the pixel camera locks in google photos for it's gallery”
Comment from 17 Aug 2026 in “How do I permanently disable Google Photos pop-up prompt to backup my photos?”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Locks you into Google Photos
“it takes beautiful pictures but the pixel camera locks in google photos for it's gallery”
Comment from 17 Aug 2026 in “How do I permanently disable Google Photos pop-up prompt to backup my photos?” “If you want a good camera you need to install Pixel camera, and they leverage that to lock you into Google Photos.”
Comment from 1 Mar 2026 in “Block the "Upgrade to Tahoe" Alerts” “One negative of the Pixel camera app is that it forces Google Photos as the gallery app”
Comment from 6 Mar 2026 in “Open Camera is a FOSS Camera App for Android” - Comment from 1 Mar 2026 in “Setting up phones is a nightmare”
Other camera apps people recommend
The four most recommended other camera apps, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Halide camera app | 18 | 6 | 75% | 7 | — | Approved |
| Open Camera | 16 | 14 | 53% | 3 | 1 yr3 owners | — |
| Pixel CameraThis page | 12 | 4 | 75% | 5 | — | Approved |
| Google Camera | 10 | 2 | 83% | 7 | — | Approved |
| iPhone camera | 8 | 25 | 24% | 5 | — | — |
What people said
All 17 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“nothing comes close to Google's”
“experiencing contact with reality”
“Despite 90+ days from initial report, it remains unpatched.”
“it takes beautiful pictures but the pixel camera locks in google photos for it's gallery”
“I resort to using Pixel's camera app with internet permission disabled to be able to take advantage of my hardware.”
“You can even use the proprietary Pixel Camera on GrapheneOS and just deny network permissions”
“One negative of the Pixel camera app is that it forces Google Photos as the gallery app”
“Pixel camera app is fully supported by GOS, you just install it from Play store”
“Pixel camera and google photos are nice to get the most out of tye pixel camera”
“I didn't notice any issues with Camera except for not being able to open the photo just taken from the camera interface.”
“Pixel Camera (which forces you to use Google Photos for basic functionality)”
“If you want a good camera you need to install Pixel camera, and they leverage that to lock you into Google Photos.”
“I just tried to take a picture of a black and white, outline only portrait right now and there is no added color.”
“You can use Pixel Camera on GrapheneOS even without sandboxed Google Play in the same profile”
“You can run the proprietary Pixel camera software on GrapheneOS just fine (properly sandboxed).”
“The Pixel camera app works, including all modes and settings.”
“I was able to install it just fine on my Pixel 8 running GrapheneOS”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.