Back camera can be removed easily

[Guest 1ns4nity]

Hey guys....

For anyone interested in de-camerizing their O2, i'd just like to tell you that it is perfrectly possible.

After seeing the teardown Youtube video this week, I finally had the guys to take apart the phone.

All you need to do is....

1. Remove back cover

2. Remove all the screws

3. Remove second layer of back cover...(a lot of clips along the edges holding the cover in place).

4. Look for the camera + the connector...it is actually just a ZIF connector which can be easily removed/unplugged from the main board. After removing it, you are good to go!

Removal of the camera does not cause any OS instabilities, and the camera app actually has a proper error message saying that the camera has been disconnected.

Have fun!

[Guest dande]

Sorry, but why to do that?

[Guest awarner (MVP)]

I guess its down to some places of work do not allow camera phones, this get difficult as most phones now have a camera built in apart from some of the real cheap featureless throw away devices you can pick up.

[Guest ray1234]

I guess its down to some places of work do not allow camera phones, this get difficult as most phones now have a camera built in apart from some of the real cheap featureless throw away devices you can pick up.

In that case it should be fine as long as the camera cannot be activated, a simple registry change should do the trick :-

Change the entry named "Dll" in both HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Drivers\BuiltIn\Camera1 and HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Drivers\BuiltIn\Camera2 to something else and the camera software will never find the driver to activate the camera software. That should be as good as disconnecting the camera, and also easily reversible.

[Guest dwallersv]

In that case it should be fine as long as the camera cannot be activated, a simple registry change should do the trick :-

Change the entry named "Dll" in both HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Drivers\BuiltIn\Camera1 and HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Drivers\BuiltIn\Camera2 to something else and the camera software will never find the driver to activate the camera software. That should be as good as disconnecting the camera, and also easily reversible.

And that's what makes it probably not a viable solution for any paranoid employer with his panties in a bunch over something like this.

Never mind that someone might simply be carrying an actual camera in their backpack/briefcase/purse anyway.

[Guest ray1234]

And that's what makes it probably not a viable solution for any paranoid employer with his panties in a bunch over something like this.

But how does anyone know whether you really disconnected the camera and disabled it via registry? also, what you disconnect is just the rear camera, there is still a front camera, which can probably take photo via some hacks .....

[Guest Uboy]

Sorry to be pedantic but is "de-camerizing" an actual word? I hope it is :) and I would hate to do that to my beloved phone. What is wrong with gaffer tape?

[Guest dwallersv]

But how does anyone know whether you really disconnected the camera and disabled it via registry? also, what you disconnect is just the rear camera, there is still a front camera, which can probably take photo via some hacks .....

Uh, because when you remove the camera you can see that it's not there? Can you visually see a registry hack? ;)

Don't forget that us pathetic Verizon slobs don't have a front camera... :)

[Guest dwallersv]

Sorry to be pedantic but is "de-camerizing" an actual word?

Did you understand what it meant? Yes? Then it's a word. Don't make the mistake of believing that only what's in a dictionary constitutes "real" words. Words and language are about communication; if it's successful, there's nothing meaningful about asking if something is "real" or not.

Granted, in formal contexts, like language classes, books, newspapers, speeches, research dissertations, etc., there are narrower constraints on what language is used. However, in common, casual speech the standard is simply communicating meaning, which is very broad.

[Guest hkwildboy]

With all due respect, isnt covering the camera with a black tape or even a band-aid a more practical solution???????

It really doest make much sense indeed.