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This app will let you use Samsung's Gear 360 with other smartphones

This app will let you use Samsung's Gear 360 with other smartphones

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Much like its Gear VR headset, Samsung's Gear 360 camera only works with a few high-end Samsung smartphones like the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge. But it was only a matter of time before someone dug into the software and opened the hardware up to a larger audience.

XDA developer Bin4ry has modified Samsung Gear 360 Manager — the app used to control the Gear 360 — to allow most Android smartphones running Android 5.0 or higher to operate the camera. Bin4ry also removed the restriction that only allowed the Samsung Galaxy S7 to film in 4K in his app, which means even if you own a Samsung smartphone, this app could come in handy.

Of course there are a few bugs: video from the Gear 360 may come in at a lower quality, stitching takes longer on some phones, and the app may crash from time to time. But if you want to give the Gear 360 a try on your non-Samsung smartphone, you'll need to download Bin4ry's Samsung Gear 360 Manager app, as well as Samsung's Accessory Service app, which is available in the Play Store.