Why is my S7 changing my photo resolution?

[Android Central Question]

I set my photo resolution to 16:9 3.7M so the files aren't super huge. My phone keeps changing the size back to 16:9 9.1M all on its own. Since it's the same aspect ratio, I don't notice the change until I check the details on a photo and see the larger resolution. By then, I've usually got dozens of files that are 3x the size they should be. How can I stop my phone from doing this?

 

[B. Diddy]

Welcome to Android Central! When you go back to the Camera's settings, does it still say that 3.7 MP is selected, or has that setting also automatically gone back to 9.1 MP?

I realize that this isn't a direct answer to your question, but if you take advantage of Google Photos backup, you can get unlimited cloud storage for your photos as long as you select High Quality (which is up to 16 MP quality, only modestly compressed): https://support.google.com/photos/answer/6193313?co=GENIE.Platform=Android&hl=en. There's an option in the Google Photos app that lets you easily Free Up Space -- the app knows which photos have been backed up, and will automatically delete them from the phone's local storage.

 

[zaradulce02]

This is my question. Funny how this forum doesn't require you to create an account before posting a question, but I had to create one to respond to my own question. :/

Anyway, the settings stay at 3.7 MP for a few weeks, and then randomly switch back to 9.1 MP. It's not like it happens when the phone restarts or anything. I have two photos that were taken 20 minutes apart with no restart: one is 3.7 MP and one is 9.1 MP.

I already have unlimited storage on SmugMug. I want to keep photos on my phone without filling up my SD card.

 

[B. Diddy]

Funny how this forum doesn't require you to create an account before posting a question, but I had to create one to respond to my own question. :/

The ability to post a question as an unregistered guest can be helpful for people who have a simple question that has a simple answer. But of course, there are plenty of questions that are more nuanced and require more discussion, and there also plenty of people who neglect to include some basic details about their issue, which requires followup. In order to respond within a thread, it makes sense for a person to register, so that it's much easier to track who's saying what.

I'm not sure if there's a quick way to troubleshoot your issue. I'd suggest trying it in Safe Mode to see if it stays at 3.7 MP, but since you say it can take a few weeks before it automatically reverts to 9.1 MP, that makes it less feasible.

Does the change seem to correspond to updates to any apps, or system updates? Also, just to be sure -- all of these photos are being taken by the stock Camera app, and not with any other 3rd party app, right?

 

[Rukbat]

This is my question. Funny how this forum doesn't require you to create an account before posting a question, but I had to create one to respond to my own question. :/

Not an answer to your question, but a lot of forums do make you sign up before you can post anything. Here, some questions can be answered with a single post, so there's no need to sign up if you just need a little help and will never be back. (Not that we're trying to keep anyone away - some "help me" posters have stuck around, learned a bit and are now helping others.)

 

[zaradulce02]

Does the change seem to correspond to updates to any apps, or system updates? Also, just to be sure -- all of these photos are being taken by the stock Camera app, and not with any other 3rd party app, right?

I don't think it corresponds with any updates. I know my phone didn't do a system update the last time it happened. I checked my recently updated apps in the Play Store and nothing updated that day. You're correct: I'm using the stock Camera app.

I'll try keeping a closer watch on my settings and see if I can catch it next time it switches.

 

[zaradulce02]

It changed to 4:3, 12MP a few days ago when I restarted my phone. I changed it back. It changed to that again yesterday for no reason that I could see. I didn't restart the phone or make any major changes to the settings. At least with it changing to 4:3, it's immediately obvious that it has switched so I don't end up with a bunch of larger files.