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According to a report from XDA Developers, Google might be making changes to its Camera API in Android 11 that will prevent them from using algorithms to smooth skin, change skin color or alter the facial geometry of subjects.
Sharp-eyed XDA Developers Editor-in-Chief, Mishaal Rahman, noticed in Google’s Android 11 Compatibility Definition Document that the company is banning equipment manufacturers from ‘implementing facial tweaking algorithms during image processing.’ Although the relevant section — [C-0–12] in particular — has been removed from the documentation, the below screenshot from Rahman shows it said the ‘facial appearance [can] NOT [be] altered including but not limited to altering facial geometry, facial skin tone or facial smoothing.’
It seems that Google is banning OEMs from implementing facial tweaking algorithms during image processing. This means all images, by default, won’t have faces tweaked, but can still do it in post. So turning off beauty modes will *actually* turn it off. pic.twitter.com/NEmPK8iFsa
— Mishaal Rahman (@MishaalRahman) July 16, 2020
This stipulation targets smartphone manufacturers who are suspected of adding these types of ‘beauty filters’ to the first-party camera app, even after turning off specific ‘Beauty’ modes, such as the one found on the Vivo X50 Pro.
Based on the wording of the documentation, it appears as though third-party apps that offer these kinds of ‘beauty’ features and filters won’t be affected — only the manufacturer’s first-party app. However, that hasn’t been confirmed at this point.
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)