Blackmagic! How Apple uses iPhone to record events and now Samsung smartphones can do it too

Apple uses iPhones to record its own events using the Blackmagic camera app. Now, there's a good news! Some Android smartphones, including few models from Samsung, can use this camera app too. All the details here.

iPhone users have been using the Blackmagic app for quite some time now. Blackmagic camera app gives you complete manual control, allowing you to shoot exactly the way you want. (Blackmagic)

Apple events: Blackmagic camera app has been available for iOS for a while now. In fact, Apple itself has used the app on the iPhone 15 Pro for the production of various keynotes. Now, the app has finally made its way to Android, but the rollout is limited to just a select few Android phones.

For those uninitiated, the Blackmagic camera app is quite popular among creatives, and it "unlocks" what your phone can't do using the default camera app. For instance, it lets you fully record in manual settings—allowing you to choose your exposure, white balance, codec, and focus mode. This way, creatives have more control over the footage they want to capture.

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Blackmagic Camera app on Android is only available for a few phones

As reported by The Verge, the Blackmagic camera app is only available for the Samsung Galaxy S23, Galaxy S24, and the Pixel 7 and Pixel 8 series of phones. It isn't clear at the moment when we could see the rollout for other Android 13 and later devices.

Android app retains the same experience

When comparing the Android app to the iOS version, we can confirm that it's the same experience. It remains free to use on Android as well; we tested it after installing the app on our Pixel 8a. 

The app experience remains the same across Android (left) and iOS (right). (Shaurya Sharma - HT Tech)

The app experience remains the same across Android (left) and iOS (right). (Shaurya Sharma - HT Tech)

The Android app, just like iOS, offers tools that help professionals get the ideal image out of the app. For instance, there are tools like focus assist, recording proxies, and even changing the shutter measurement to either speed or angle—just like a cinema camera. Moreover, you can also choose to directly record footage to the Blackmagic cloud, so you are free to edit the footage wherever you want.