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'Quick Snap' Maps iPhone Volume Buttons to Camera Shutter (For Now)

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macrumors bot
Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
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Just last week, we noted that popular camera app Camera+ had reappeared in the App Store after a four-month hiatus. The temporary disappearance of Camera+ came after an update to the application earlier this year had been rejected after the developers added a feature that remapped the iPhone's hardware volume buttons to activate the camera shutter, a violation of Apple's terms due to the potential for confusing users. After the company squeezed through another update that left the volume button feature hidden as an easter egg, the app was quickly pulled by Apple.


170516-quick_snap.jpg


But just as Apple appears to have let Camera+ out of the penalty box and back into the store (without the volume button feature present), another new app has been approved that not only offers this same functionality, but features it prominently in the app's description and screenshots. Quick Snap - Camera Plus ($1.99), released on December 15th, was noted by Wired for its curious offering of the banned feature.
Turn iPhone Volume Button into a Shutter Button? "Quick Snap" is the app for THAT!

Why choose the soft or full screen shutter when you can use VOLUME BUTTON as the hard shutter button on your iPhone? You are now one step close to the real digital camera experience! Isn't that awesome?
Click to expand...
The approval of Quick Snap appears to have been an error by an Apple reviewer, as such changes to hardware features of the iPhone remain forbidden under Apple's policies. Consequently, Apple will likely move to take down the application as soon as possible now that that news has been made public, although the ongoing holiday shutdown may slow the company's response time.

Article Link: 'Quick Snap' Maps iPhone Volume Buttons to Camera Shutter (For Now)
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2010/12/27/quick-snap-maps-iphone-volume-buttons-to-camera-shutter-for-now/
Small White Car

Small White Car

macrumors G4
Aug 29, 2006
10,966
1,463
Washington DC
So I guess this is a 'get it while you can' warning?

Cool! :D

Although, that being said, not sure I'm going to invest $2 in an app that will probably never be updated.
 
Žalgiris

Žalgiris

macrumors 6502a
Aug 3, 2010
934
0
Lithuania
Funny how they allow this, but reject apps from the app store just because it uses non-apple API or has sparkle files inside.
 
B

Bodypainter

macrumors regular
Oct 11, 2007
196
0
What???

seems like apple is fooling other app developers. why did camera+ get rejected and this developer just got approved without any problem? this is totally unfair!

so maybe this is a good example of how apple is treating their developers, or the app approvers are suffering from amnesia.

(well, that video could actually bring light into the amensia: steve jobs in http://youtu.be/0FW-lrMXLBE )
 
M

macsrcool1234

Suspended
Oct 7, 2010
1,551
2,130
You would think that after all this time they would be able to get their approval system in order.


Guess that's asking for too much.
 
N

newagemac

macrumors 68020
Mar 31, 2010
2,091
23
This app was approved and in the App Store 2 weeks ago. There has to be more to this than than what is being reported.
 
B

blueslate

macrumors newbie
Jul 18, 2010
6
0
Wish Apple would do this and make the experience the way it should be.
Lots of bugs with this app... does not have access to the HDR mode or management of the Flash, the green light indicator stays on even after you turn off the volume shutter button (if you can get it to go off).
 
D

duraace

macrumors member
Dec 27, 2006
64
0
Bugs

Good start, but it has bugs. The volume shutter stops working (once you get it to work), when you go out of the app. When you return, it's back to being a volume button, not a shutter button. You have to kill the app, then restart. Can't control flash on/off. No settings.
 
ChazUK

ChazUK

macrumors 603
Feb 3, 2008
5,393
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Essex (UK)
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (Linux; U; Android 2.3.1; en-gb; Nexus S Build/GRH78) AppleWebKit/533.1 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile Safari/533.1)

I wonder how long this one will last?
 
T

Tom359

macrumors regular
Jul 13, 2007
129
19
Appears to take lower resolution photos....beware!

For $1.99 I wanted to try it out. Got the volume to work as shutter, it stays active for me when I go back into the app, unlike others have reported. What I noticed right away was that my test photos had noticeable "jaggies" when taking pics of things with straight lines. Compared shots between regular iPhone camera and sure enough, no jaggies. They are clearly using a lower resolution, but why, I wonder. There are no setting anywhere to change this, either.
 
DCJ001

DCJ001

macrumors 6502a
Dec 12, 2007
521
253
Note: The default delay time when pressing the volume - button is 3 seconds. You can also use the soft button on the screen.
 
G

genr17

macrumors newbie
Mar 6, 2008
6
0
Other apps use volume buttons also: eg my Buzzbuka

I have an iPhone app in the App Store that uses the volume buttons for communication (Buzzbuka: Covert Messaging (http://buzzbuka.dsemeas.com/)). I have not had any problems from Apple (so far).
But darn it, they probably read these forums :)
 
nagromme

nagromme

macrumors G5
May 2, 2002
12,546
1,196
Interesting way to make something feel slightly more familiar. (While messing with something else—volume buttons--that used to feel familiar!)

But aside from familiarity, a physical button is a terrible way to take photos: it shakes the camera. Removing your finger from a non-moving surface (the standard iPhone method) is a great way to trigger a photo. (Although people who think it triggers on tap instead of release may be shaking the camera needlessly.)

The one improvement I HAVE seen from third-party apps is a mode that uses the whole screen as a shutter trigger. But the other controls on the camera app have their uses, so full-screen trigger wouldn’t be ideal. Maybe just a really BIG trigger button. But it mainly matters for taking photos of yourself on older single-camera iPhones. (Plus, since release is the trigger, you can always look at the button and then re-aim your hand before release.)
 
Gizmotoy

Gizmotoy

macrumors 65816
Nov 6, 2003
1,108
164
So they pull what was the best camera app from the store for 4 months, but apparently let a variety of other apps through with the same feature. Nice work, Apple. Every time you do this you alienate more and more developers, and Android is starting to look very attractive.
 
jayducharme

jayducharme

macrumors 601
Jun 22, 2006
4,533
5,980
The thick of it
nagromme said:
But aside from familiarity, a physical button is a terrible way to take photos: it shakes the camera.
Click to expand...

That's what my brother-in-law found out yesterday at a party. He was trying to take a picture with his Android phone that had the camera buttons mapped to the volume controls. And each time, his photo was badly blurred because the camera shook. I have no trouble with the virtual button in the iPhone's camera app. I have to look at the screen anyway, to center the picture. So touching the screen is no big deal.
 
A

azajohns

macrumors member
Sep 12, 2006
40
20
Is there a tutorial somewhere for this app? I don't get what the '1,2,3,4' buttons are. There's no flash settings. No settings for anything actually that I can see. I cant see how to enable the volume button shutter, the buttons I can understand only seem to work randomly. What am I missing here?
 
F

Foreverbfc

macrumors newbie
Aug 11, 2010
15
23
azajohns said:
Is there a tutorial somewhere for this app? I don't get what the '1,2,3,4' buttons are. There's no flash settings. No settings for anything actually that I can see. I cant see how to enable the volume button shutter, the buttons I can understand only seem to work randomly. What am I missing here?
Click to expand...

I agree. I haven't been able to figure out the button thing either. I was hoping to see if anyone here had.
 
Popeye206

Popeye206

macrumors 68040
Sep 6, 2007
3,148
836
NE PA USA
azajohns said:
Is there a tutorial somewhere for this app? I don't get what the '1,2,3,4' buttons are. There's no flash settings. No settings for anything actually that I can see. I cant see how to enable the volume button shutter, the buttons I can understand only seem to work randomly. What am I missing here?
Click to expand...

You're missing nothing... it seems as though these guys put together a crappy app. I love the timer... been wanting one and love the idea of using the volume button as an option - easier to hold the phone, but the picture quality stinks and with no flash control it's very limited. The flash screws more photos up than help.

I sort of wish Apple would have rejected this just because it's junk! LOL!
 
Popeye206

Popeye206

macrumors 68040
Sep 6, 2007
3,148
836
NE PA USA
Bodypainter said:
seems like apple is fooling other app developers. why did camera+ get rejected and this developer just got approved without any problem? this is totally unfair!

so maybe this is a good example of how apple is treating their developers, or the app approvers are suffering from amnesia.

(well, that video could actually bring light into the amensia: steve jobs in http://youtu.be/0FW-lrMXLBE )
Click to expand...

Apple is not perfect... it's just people testing and approving Apps... thousands a week are submitted. They do their best, but some restricted things get by. They're not trying to favor some developers over others and punish some.
 
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