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Complete Tutorial: Using @capgo/capacitor-camera-preview for iOS and Android Mobile Apps

The @capgo/capacitor-camera-preview package provides native camera preview functionality for your Capacitor mobile applications on iOS and Android. This comprehensive tutorial will guide you through integrating camera preview features into your iOS and Android mobile apps built with Capacitor or Cordova, enabling cross-platform mobile app development with native capabilities.

What is Capacitor?

Capacitor is Ionic's modern native runtime that enables developers to build native iOS apps, Android apps, and Progressive Web Apps from a single codebase. Unlike older Cordova-based mobile development, Capacitor provides direct access to native iOS and Android APIs, making it the ideal choice for building production-ready mobile applications. This Capacitor plugin brings camera preview capabilities to both iOS and Android mobile platforms.

Why Use camera preview in Your Capacitor Mobile App?

The @capgo/capacitor-camera-preview plugin enables your iOS and Android mobile applications to leverage native camera preview functionality without writing platform-specific code. This Capacitor plugin provides a unified JavaScript API that works seamlessly on both iOS and Android mobile devices, making it perfect for cross-platform mobile app development.

Benefits for iOS and Android mobile applications:

  • Native camera preview performance on iOS and Android devices
  • Unified API for both iOS and Android mobile platforms
  • No need for separate native iOS or Android code
  • Works with Capacitor and Cordova mobile frameworks
  • Full TypeScript support for mobile app development
  • Seamless integration with existing Capacitor mobile apps

locale: en

Using @capgo/camera-preview

The @capgo/camera-preview package provides camera preview functionality for your Capacitor app. Here is a tutorial on how to use this package.

Installation

To install the package, run the following command:

npm install @capgo/camera-preview
npx cap sync

Usage

Start Camera Preview

import { CameraPreview } from '@capgo/camera-preview';

await CameraPreview.start({
  position: 'rear',
  width: window.screen.width,
  height: window.screen.height,
  x: 0,
  y: 0,
});

Stop Camera Preview

import { CameraPreview } from '@capgo/camera-preview';

await CameraPreview.stop();

Capture Photo

import { CameraPreview } from '@capgo/camera-preview';

const result = await CameraPreview.capture({
  quality: 90,
});

console.log('Photo:', result.value);

That's it! You have successfully integrated camera preview into your Capacitor app.

Platform-Specific Notes for iOS and Android

iOS Mobile Platform

  • Compatible with iOS 10.0+ mobile devices (iPhone and iPad)
  • Uses native iOS APIs for camera preview functionality
  • Optimized performance on iOS mobile platform
  • Full support for latest iOS versions

Android Mobile Platform

  • Compatible with Android 5.0 (API 21)+ mobile devices
  • Uses native Android APIs for camera preview functionality
  • Works across all Android device manufacturers
  • Optimized for Android mobile platform

Capacitor vs Cordova for Mobile Development

While this camera preview plugin works with both Capacitor and Cordova mobile frameworks, Capacitor offers significant advantages for iOS and Android mobile app development:

  • Modern Architecture: Better performance on iOS and Android mobile platforms
  • Direct Native Access: Easier integration with iOS and Android native APIs
  • Improved Tooling: Superior development experience for mobile apps
  • Active Development: Regular updates for iOS and Android compatibility
  • Better Documentation: Comprehensive guides for mobile app development

Conclusion

You have successfully integrated @capgo/capacitor-camera-preview into your Capacitor mobile application for iOS and Android. This plugin provides native camera preview capabilities for both iOS and Android mobile platforms, enabling professional mobile app development with a unified codebase.

For detailed API documentation and advanced camera preview features for mobile app development, visit the GitHub repository.

Whether you're building native iOS apps, Android mobile applications, or cross-platform Capacitor mobile apps, this camera preview plugin provides the native capabilities you need for professional mobile app development on iOS and Android platforms.