Android 11 never lets third-party camera app open from other apps

Google has built a restriction in Android 11 so that third-party camera apps no longer appear as an option when an app wants to direct the user to a camera app. Instead, the user always goes to the camera app included in the firmware.

Google confirms that it is not a bug, but works as intended. Developers of camera apps can indicate in their code an app that their camera app can give as an option, but Android will no longer let users choose from all camera apps on a device. Google is taking the step because of security and privacy. Apps can continue to use their own in-app camera. Apps such as Instagram and Snapchat, among others, make use of this. The step is also in the Android 11 developer documentation.

These are apps that use ‘android.media.action.IMAGE_CAPTURE’ and a few related intents. Even if users default to a third-party camera app, that intent will lead to the camera app built into the firmware.

If users have disabled them, it is not possible to take a photo with that intent in an app, Commonsware writes, which has raised this with Google. The built-in camera app is often from the manufacturer.