FujiFilm Camera Remote app

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I recently picked up a FujiFilm X-T20; first time I’ve had a Fuji. In general, I’m really enjoying the camera so far, but I don’t have a remote release for it yet.

I installed the FujiFilm Camera Remote app (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.fujifilm_dsc.app.remoteshooter&hl=en), thinking that it might be a useful remote release with some additional functionality, but when I fired it up I discovered that it flatly refuses to operate unless location services are turned on in the phone. For me, that’s simply not happening, for any app, any time. Granted, the app includes geotagging, but much of what it claims to do does does not require location access.

I know there are several Fuji shooters here. Has anyone here found a way to circumvent, or otherwise make ineffective, the location requirement with this app?

There may be some good news on the horizon. Google appears to be clamping down on gratuitous slurping of location data by apps that don’t need it:

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finding wifi is bound to the location permission which only works when the location service is enabled.

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If that was really true, I could never use WiFi. A little searching shows that there is a difference between using WiFi and scanning for WiFi. Scanning for WiFi requires location to be permitted and active (for reasons I don’t know yet, and a lot of people question the need). Looks like I will just go ahead and buy a remote release.

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You can attach a good old analog cable release to the shutter button of the Fuji, if that works for you.

For my Nikon, I just got a cheap rf remote that works great.

The Fuji app is pretty bad.

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I love my Fuji, but I really don’t like the Fuji Camera Remote app. I takes ages to scan the Wi-Fi, and it fails to find the camera 99% the first time and finds it only on the second time.
Regarding the location metadata, maybe you can simply strip them off when you’re back home, using some batch script and exiftool?

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you can just tell the camera not to fetch the location data via bluetooth. I dont think they add metadata during download. because download location does not have to be the same as capture location. (for me it rarely is)

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That’s consistent with many people’s complaints in the Google Play store. Overall, the app sounds like a lot more trouble than it’s worth. The cheapo old school release is looking better and better.

I don’t want location data in my photos (that part I could deal with as @sguyader and @darix have suggested), but more importantly (to me) I don’t want location services enabled on my phone at all. But that’s just me.

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Fuji just released firmware updates for a few cameras which could help with wifi issues.

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The problem with the latest firmware updates for the X-T2 is that the 4.31 version was supposed to help with a rare undisclosed bug, and 4.32 to correct a bug caused by the 4.31 version.
Fujifilm didn’t say anything about wifi improvements in both last firmwares, afaik.

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I find the app works fine for remote shutter and transferring location, i.e. while using Bluetooth only.

As soon as you do the WiFi dance to transfer pictures, it’s a bit of a pain, though. Still, better a clunky solution than no way of transferring pictures at all.

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the Camera Remote app is a catastrophe. I don’t understand why they didn’t implement a simple, proper REST-enabled webserver on the camera instead of that weird proprietary horror they built. it’s not like they lack the processing power or anything…