OnePlus 8 Pro Update to Temporarily Disable Color Filter Camera Thanks to Privacy Concerns

OnePlus 8 Pro users will receive an update that will temporarily disable the Color Filter camera, OnePlus announced through a post published on Weibo. The new move by the company comes as a result of the recent reports that claimed “see-through” capabilities of the fourth camera sensor that was originally meant for enhancing images. Also, it suggests that despite having a quad rear camera setup, the OnePlus 8 Pro would only be able to use the three rear camera sensors and drop the Color Filter camera for the time being.

As per the basis of a machine translation of the Weibo post, which is originally in Chinese, OnePlus will push a software update for the OnePlus 8 Pro within a week to disable the Color Filter camera. The company has decided the release of the update to put the recent privacy concerns at rest that emerged due to the reports showing see-through capabilities of the camera.

Gadgets 360 has reached out to OnePlus to get clarity on the update and will update this space as and when the company responds.

Although the camera wasn't able to replicate an x-ray scanner, which is something falsely projected in some reports, it seems to have the ability to allow visibility to certain materials — especially the ones that don't have infrared shielding. Some people recorded videos that showed internals of devices such as an Apple TV and a TV remote control. However, all that was apparently due to the fact that those devices have an infrared transmissible plastic.

Meant for lighting effects and filters
OnePlus offered the Color Filter camera on the OnePlus 8 Pro to enhance images with lighting effects and filters. However, as noted by Android Police, it is mostly a gimmick as you can only use it in the single camera mode and can't add effects while zooming into any subjects or objects.

By temporarily disabling the Color Filter camera, OnePlus is somehow reducing the operational count of OnePlus 8 Pro rear cameras from four to three — at least for the time being. This could be something major for customers who look for a quad rear camera smartphone. But nonetheless, the company may address the concerns and bring the fourth camera back to its operations through a future update.

Will OnePlus 8 series be able to take on iPhone SE (2020), Samsung Galaxy S20 in India? We discussed this on Orbital, our weekly technology podcast, which you can subscribe to via Apple Podcasts or RSS, download the episode, or just hit the play button below.