Kraken Dive Photo

fbc.ch

About this app

This app is made by real divers for real divers that want to use their android phone with an underwater housing, reliably during all your dives.

Kraken Dive Photo turns your Android phone into a dive camera controlled entirely through your Kraken housing's bluetooth remote.

Once the phone is sealed inside the housing, all camera functions - photo, video, focus, gallery - are operated through the housing buttons.

Features:
- Capture photos and videos with Kraken underwater housing buttons
- Works with Google Camera and Google Photos
- Manual and Auto Focus Control
- Browse and delete photos/videos in gallery mode - for example during safety stops
- Automatic reconnection after Bluetooth drops or device reboot
- Runs as a background service - stays connected during your entire dive

Requirements:
- Kraken dive housing (Universal Smartphone Housing KRH08 V2)
- Google Camera and Google Photos installed
- Android 8.0 or newer

FAQ:
Why does Kraken Dive Photo need an accessibility service?
Android provides no public API to trigger the camera shutter or navigate a gallery app from a third-party app. The accessibility service injects tap gestures and key events into the foreground camera/gallery on your behalf — necessary because the phone is sealed inside a dive housing and the touchscreen is inaccessible. No user data is collected, read, or transmitted.

Why does Kraken Dive Photo need to display over other apps?
A secure lockscreen (PIN, fingerprint, face unlock) cannot be cleared underwater, and on most modern Android phones it cannot be disabled either (stored credentials, work profiles, OEM policy). The lockscreen only engages after the screen turns off — so while you are connected, the app keeps the screen on with a transparent, fully transparent overlay that blocks no touches. After ~45 seconds without input the overlay dims itself to the hardware minimum to save battery. The brightness comes back instantly on any of: a housing button press, a touch on the screen, or pressing the power key. When the diver wakes the screen with a housing button, that first press only restores brightness — it does not take a photo, start a recording, or switch modes. The next press performs the actual action, so a composed shot is never lost to a wake-tap. The idle dimmer is also suspended for the duration of a video recording so the diver can frame longer shots without the screen going dark mid-take. The overlay attaches when you connect and detaches when you disconnect or swipe the app from Recents.

What’s new

Upgrade and Refactoring