Some users of the recently released Google Nexus 5X smartphone have been reporting that pictures taken with the device are displayed upside down, but why?
According to a Google engineer the issue does not require a major fix, and isn’t in fact Google’s fault. The blame instead falls on app developers who have not updated their programs to Google’s latest imaging APIs.
Google APIs have been updated, some third-party apps have not
A Reddit threat started to grow after many Nexus 5X users reported the issue. Soon enough Google engineer Eino-Ville Talvala joined in the discussion to explain what was going on. According to Talvala the issue arises due to the way in which the camera is put into the device during assembly.
In order to accommodate the wiring the Nexus 5X image sensor is put in landscape rather than portrait. In order to prevent pictures being shown the wrong way up, Google changed its software to compensate for the positioning of the sensor, and you won’t have any issues with your pictures if you use stock apps that are pre-installed on the Nexus 5X.
“Unfortunately, our old camera API (which is deprecated, but most apps still use it) isn’t terribly user-friendly, and requires application developers to explicitly set the preview rotation,” wrote Tivala. “On most devices, though, it turns out the default rotation is correct for a forced-landscape app, so many apps never call the display orientation method.”
Nexus 5X owners advised to contact app developers asking for update
However those users who prefer third-party imaging apps may run into difficulty because many developers have not updated the programs to match Google’s latest APIs. Google has been in touch with developers of affected apps asking them to do so.
Before you rush back to the shop to demand that a technician fix your phone, be aware that the issue is with developers rather than Google themselves. Users are advised to send an email to the developers of their preferred app to act as a reminder that an update need to happen as soon as possible.
Hopefully developers come up with a fix quickly and stop the confusing phenomenon.
