Blackmagic’s free camera app is now available on Android, but there’s a catch

“The Blackmagic Camera app for iPhone has been incredibly popular since it was launched last year,” says Grant Petty, the company’s CEO. “We are excited to be able to give customers with Samsung Galaxy or Google Pixel phones the same controls for shooting digital film as our professional cameras.”

A Blackmagic Design spokesperson, Terry Frechette, confirmed to The Verge that there is one unfortunate limitation to the Blackmagic Camera app on Android. The app “can be used on phones running Android 13 or later” but is limited to the Samsung Galaxy S23, S24, and Google Pixel 7/8 lineups. The company also had no information to share when asked if the app would eventually be made available on other Android devices.

The native camera apps in iOS and Android focus on simplifying photography with streamlined interfaces and a heavy reliance on automation, and while more capable camera apps that cater to professional photographers and videographers often come with premium pricing, the Blackmagic Camera app will remain completely free on Android.

The Android version of the app will also carry over the same interface as the iPhone version, with an overlaid heads-up display that shows important shooting information such as focus and exposure that also provides quick access to settings by simply tapping on items in the HUD. The Blackmagic Camera can also capture footage directly to the company’s cloud service, making it quickly accessible for editing and post-production work at another facility.