Google is planning to release a standalone camera app to the Play Store intended for all Android devices, according to sources close to Engadget. The company has been rumoured to be overhauling its camera experience for months, especially after proof that the stock Nexus camera inaccurately crops photos in the viewfinder.
The Nexus 5 was accused of having poor camera performance when it debuted in November, and was quickly updated to version 4.4.2 with improvements to focus time and overall photo quality. That said, it didn’t fix all of the issues, and the Nexus 5 is still considered to have a pretty mediocre camera.
The new app is rumoured to sport artificial background defocusing, much like the Galaxy S5, as well as improved portrait effects and other features. Google also plans to improve Photosphere and panorama, modes that have gone unloved since their debuts in 2012.
Google has slowly been releasing standalone apps to the Play Store, making it easy for them to update individual components independent of Android version of skin. Most recently, the company released a Google Now launcher for compatible Nexus devices running KitKat.
It’s not clear when the standalone camera app will hit the Play Store, but there’s a good chance it will be near or around Google I/O in June.
[source]Engadget[/source]
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