Have you just bought a new budget/mid-tier Android phone? You can see a branded watermark on all photos taken using the camera. Here’s how to turn that feature off.
It wasn’t until I started reviewing a ton of budget blowers that I never realized how big of a problem this was. best budget smartphone Mostly not complete, but many affordable phones feel the need to let you know that the photo you just shot was actually on your new phone.
It bothers me as much as it does you. Scroll to the end if you’d like to see how I plan to respond to this weird trend in my reviews, but in the meantime, let’s go over how to shut them down with a simple guide.
How to turn off watermarks on pictures on your Android phone
For virtually all Android phones that do this main sin, the steps are the same.
- open camera app
- Tap on Camera Settings
- Find the watermark switch and turn it off
Settings exist either as a cog icon on the camera viewfinder screen or behind a three-line expandable (aka hamburger) menu. Once in a while, the location of the watermark option will vary from phone to phone, which I’ve highlighted below for the manufacturers I’ve tested.
my true form
On cheaper Realme phones, you’ll find the watermark switch in the first 5 options in the camera settings – accessed directly from the Camera app.
redmagic
Redmagic’s watermark option is about 60% of the bottom of the camera settings, with additional settings in the expandable menu in the top right corner of the camera viewfinder.
black shark
For Black Shark, there is a setting at the top and the watermark switch can be found at the bottom of the list of additional settings.
Updating how I review phones: A warning to OEMs
This problem is so widespread that I have been forced to write a guide about it. The question for guilty brands is clear: What exactly are you getting from leaving the branded watermark by default?
At best, you’re catching ordinary consumers unaware and getting some extra hype of your phone’s camera system on someone’s Facebook feed. But at worst, you’re pissing people off and while most of us fellow nerds already know where to set the setting to pull it off, we’re in a relatively small spot.
Most people won’t know how to turn them off, which means millions of precious moments are wasted with a “shot on *phone here*” photo. So, instead of accepting this status quo, I’m going to change how I review phones and issue a warning to several subsidiaries of Xiaomi and the likes of Realme.
I have started adding this feature to my reviews. If I see the phone watermark by default, I’m deducting half a star. So far, RedMagic and black shark 4 pro I fell in love and see what happened to them? A rating cut that prevented the RedMagic 7 Pro from receiving the Editor’s Choice award! Hopefully I can create enough stink to get people’s attention.
