Android 16 will help you click better social media photos in low light conditions

Google plans to launch new night mode indicator API in 2019 Android 16 Helps apps automatically adapt to low-light environments when capturing images or recording videos.

in a new Android developer blog post (hour/ton mishal rahman), Google wrote that the new API will allow apps such as Instagram and Snapchat to detect when the device is in a low-light environment and trigger Night Mode camera expansion if necessary. This means that when you take a photo in dim light, the camera in the social media app will automatically optimize settings to produce brighter images with less noise.

Instagram already supports this feature on some phones including Pixel 6 and above, Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, Galaxy Z Flip 6 and Galaxy Z Fold 6. When Instagram detects low-light conditions on devices that support the feature, it displays a moon icon to let users know they can activate Night Mode. Google shared examples of how this feature improves image quality, providing improved exposure and detail (see below).

Android 16’s Night Mode Indicator API will be part of the Android Camera Extension Framework, which allows apps to take advantage of device-specific camera features such as portrait bokeh and face retouching. This ensures that no matter what device you’re using, you get the best performance from your phone’s camera hardware.

For social media users, Android 16’s Night Mode Indicator API will make it easier to capture high-quality content in low-light environments, as more app developers will be able to implement the moon icon indicator to turn on and off Night mode.