Introducing CameraViewfinder: Simplify Resizable Camera Preview on Android

Android devices now come in many sizes and shapes, making camera preview implementation more complex, especially when handling window resizing, orientation changes, multi‑window, or foldable devices. Developers must avoid assumptions about fixed orientation, size, or exclusive camera access.

The Jetpack CameraViewfinder component provides a ready‑made solution that internally uses TextureView or SurfaceView , automatically correcting aspect ratio, scaling, and rotation, and works seamlessly with existing Camera2 code.

To use it, add the dependency to your app‑level build.gradle :

implementation "androidx.camera:camera-viewfinder:1.3.0-alpha01"

After syncing, you can place the view in a layout just like any other View :

<androidx.camera.viewfinder.CameraViewfinder
    android:id="@+id/view_finder"
    app:scaleType="fitCenter"
    app:implementationMode="performance"
    android:layout_width="match_parent"
    android:layout_height="match_parent"/>

When creating a CameraCaptureSession , request a surface from the viewfinder instead of a TextureView :

fun startCamera() {
    val previewResolution = Size(width, height)
    val viewfinderSurfaceRequest = ViewfinderSurfaceRequest(previewResolution, characteristics)
    val surfaceListenableFuture = cameraViewfinder.requestSurfaceAsync(viewfinderSurfaceRequest)
    Futures.addCallback(surfaceListenableFuture, object : FutureCallback
{
        override fun onSuccess(surface: Surface) { /* use surface to create CaptureSession */ }
        override fun onFailure(t: Throwable) { /* handle error */ }
    }, ContextCompat.getMainExecutor(context))
}

CameraViewfinder works in resizable layouts, configuration changes, rotation, and multi‑window modes, and has been tested on many foldable devices. For advanced foldable UI, combine it with the Jetpack WindowManager library to adapt the preview area based on hinge position or device posture.

Additional resources include the official Android compatibility definition for camera orientation, the CameraX preview documentation, and sample code demonstrating handling posture changes on foldable devices.