Shutter Sound On/Off

chappo2000

Well-known member
Aug 23, 2010
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There seems to be conflicting reports concerning the ability to turn on/off the camera shutter sound. Can someone with a GS3 in hand verify which is true:

Can you, "Go to the camera app, settings & go down to shutter sound" to toggle the sound? Or is root access/modification required?

Thanks.
 
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Hopefully someone chimes in but I know for sure that has been removed from android source. If it's there, Samsung added it. If it's not there are apps in the market which claim to silence the shutter so it's worth a try.
 
KSmithInNY is correct it was removed from source.. Basically due to privacy issues/laws of people "secretly" snapping pictures when they shouldn't be... Camera sound is a big red flag to someone snapping a picture.

Friend with the SGSIII said he hasn't found a way to disable it so safe to say its set to ON with no option to disable. So your gonna need to root and rename the camera shutter sound file ".ogg" to silence the sound or edit the build prop line if it exists or find an app.

All which KSmithInNY has already said so I'm just repeating it. ;)
 
Just add a widget to mute the ringer and that will mute the camera or what ever way is quicker and convenient for you to mute.
 
From my experience even if you mute the ringer completely the Camera shutter will still be audible.
 
Just to be clear, there are no laws requiring a shutter sound nor is there any law against muting the shutter sound.
 
id like to know as well....

there are no laws that a camera has to make a sound...its pure bullcrap

it pisses me off we can't also record phone calls when I could on my old Treo 700p
 
I agree guys, I'm not sure if there is any standing laws here in the states or overseas but obviously there is a reason for this since Google has removed the option to mute camera shutter within source as KSmithInNY has mentioned.

The fix or work around is easy if your rooted... Not so easy if your un rooted....

Personally I feel we should be able to mute the camera sound but I guess Google doesn't share that same feelings.

Trust me first thing I will be doing when I get my SGSIII is fixing a few things in build.prop and also doing some hackery within other areas to my likings.. ;)
 
Just to be clear, there are no laws requiring a shutter sound nor is there any law against muting the shutter sound.

Agreed, but Android source code is freely distributed globally (including japan and korea where shutter sound laws exist), so a global approach was needed in the source. Google removed the check box from within the camera, as that's common code, compiled the same for any country. Rather what they decided is to empower OEMs to either force it on, or allow it to be silenced when phone is silenced. The OEM is tasked with defining within their specific build, if the device should for sound or not.

ro.camera.sound.forced=true <- This means sound always on
ro.camera.sound.forced=false <-This means sound muted when device is muted

NOTE: Some devices require editing of the local.prop instead which switches the values to 1 0

It's easy to forget that android is worldwide, and while Google has no obligation to modify it forcing OEMs to do the heavy lifting to meet their laws, they opted for a simple solution that's is better than nothing. RIM and Apple have both locked shutter sound in, period. Google at least lets OEMs decide on their own.

If i were samsung I'd be strictly maintaining a clean, structured source for all the devices so adding a toggle to the camera apk wouldnt be an option as now US devices would have to have a separately maintained variance. Rather defining properties for multiple devices requires no additional maintenance (again, because of how Google implemented it). Samsung should edit the local properties for the US devices to enable silencing shutter if phone is silenced.

OK, thats the last time i want to discuss shutters :p I rarely even use cameras lol
 
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Guys this is one you need to do a little research into, although it's not easy to find. I live in SC, and here in about half the counties in the state, being caught using a non shuttering camera in public is a 175 fine for the first offense. Be very careful about this one!

Sent from my LG-VM670 using Android Central Forums
 
Guys this is one you need to do a little research into, although it's not easy to find. I live in SC, and here in about half the counties in the state, being caught using a non shuttering camera in public is a 175 fine for the first offense. Be very careful about this one!

Sent from my LG-VM670 using Android Central Forums

how could they ever catch you? even if they suspect you...you can't look at someone's phone without having already arrested them or having a warrant

so even if they suspected you, they can't do crap..and by the time they get a warrant, just delete the photo and you'll be fine
 
how could they ever catch you? even if they suspect you...you can't look at someone's phone without having already arrested them or having a warrant

so even if they suspected you, they can't do crap..and by the time they get a warrant, just delete the photo and you'll be fine

That's not completely true in every state anymore. Lots of states on the eat coast consider most laws around mobile phones primary offenses and not secondary anymore. Here if they suspect you ran off the road because you were texting or something, they are allowed to look now

Sent from my LG-VM670 using Android Central Forums
 

I wonder if SilentSnap will work? I have the app Camera ZOOM FX and it has the option to "Enable the Shutter Sound" by checking a box, or by unchecking the box the shutter sound will be disabled. On the S3 it doesn't matter whether the box is checked or not, you still get the shutter sound. :'(
 
I can tell you as of right now there is nothing that will work to shut off the shutter sound. You have to root your phone or use a camera app that has the shutter sound option. And not all of the camera apps that have the option will work. I contacted the makers of silentsnap and they are aware of the problem with the GS3. It might work with some carriers, but it won't work with Sprint. I've spent a lot of time looking for something that will work good without root. So far no luck.

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Android Central Forums
 
so if the shutter sound is now forced in source does that mean roms like cm9 don't have the option?
 
Download Silent mode widget by Jason Hull from play store. It's free and when you silence your phone it also silences your camera sutter without rooting.
 
Download Silent mode widget by Jason Hull from play store. It's free and when you silence your phone it also silences your camera sutter without rooting.

it seems that apps works better on certain kinds of phones..does it work on sgsIII well?
 
My buddy bought an AT&T GS3 at Best Buy at full price so he could use it on Straight Talk. I was messing with it to get the phone to work on their network and while I was on hold with a rep, I showed my buddy the burst shot mode in the camera. While looking through the camera settings, I found the option to turn the shutter sound off. It worked too! I looked on my Sprint version and it didn't have it.

Weird.

At the end of the night the update for AT&T GS3s came out so he installed it right away, so I don't know if that turned the shutter sound back on and eliminated the option in the settings menu or not, I will check next time I see him.
 

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