How to Take a Passport Photo With an Android Phone

Android phones from Samsung, Google and other makers all take photos good enough for a U.S. passport. The trouble is that many of them also smooth skin, boost colors or blur the background automatically, and the State Department requires the original photo with no filters or digital changes. This guide shows which settings to check on Samsung Galaxy and Google Pixel phones, using the names in each maker's current help pages. Menus differ by model and software version, so if a setting is missing on your phone, it simply does not apply.

First set up the room: a plain white or off-white wall, you several feet in front of it, and soft, even light. The home setup guide covers that in detail.

Settings that matter on any Android phone

• Rear camera, Photo mode. The rear camera is the better one, and using it means someone else (or a timer) takes the shot rather than you at arm's length.
• 1x zoom. Avoid the ultra-wide lens (any setting below 1x), which stretches faces near the edges. Do not pinch to zoom.
• About 4 feet away, at eye level. The State Department's tips say the camera should be several feet (1.2 m) from you. Closer than that and your head will be too big or distorted.
• No Portrait mode, filters or effects. Background blur and beauty effects change your appearance.
• Flash off in daylight. Flash causes glare and red eye. The State Department does not let you edit red eye away; you need a new photo.

Samsung Galaxy: what to change

Open Camera and tap the Settings icon (top left), or tap the Quick controls icon (four dots) below the viewfinder and then Settings. Samsung's help page lists these options; availability varies by model:

1. Intelligent optimization > Scene optimizer: off. Samsung says Scene optimizer automatically adjusts exposure, contrast, white balance and more based on what it detects. For a passport photo you want a plain, unprocessed look.
2. Effects: none. In the camera's top controls or Quick controls, open Effects and make sure no filter or face effect is applied.
3. Grid lines: on. Under General, turn on Grid lines to keep your head centered and level.
4. Timer. In the top controls or Quick controls, tap Timer and pick a delay if you are shooting alone.
5. Shooting methods. Optional: Voice commands or Show palm (front camera) let you trigger the shot hands-free, but the rear camera with a timer is the better choice.
6. Advanced picture options. Samsung lets you save in HEIF or RAW. Leave RAW off. HEIF is accepted for online renewal; standard JPEG is easier for printing.
7. Settings to keep. If this keeps filters from your last session, check Effects every time you open the camera.

Google Pixel: what to change

1. Stay in standard Photo mode on the rear camera, not Portrait.
2. Face retouching: off. Google's help page explains that Face retouching (Subtle or Smooth on Pixel 4a 5G and later) works on selfies and Portrait mode photos, and the result only shows in the final photo. Make sure it is off before you shoot.
3. Timer. In the Camera app, open Settings at the top and choose 3 seconds or 10 seconds on the Timer screen, then tap the shutter.
4. Palm timer. On Pixel 6 and later, with the timer on, raising your palm toward the camera starts the countdown. Google notes your face and palm must both be fully visible.
5. Do not use editing tools afterward. Pixel's editing features such as portrait blur or Magic Eraser change the image and are not allowed on a passport photo.

Samsung and Pixel settings compared

Other Android brands

Motorola, OnePlus, Xiaomi and other brands use different menu names, but the same features exist under different labels. Before you shoot, open the camera settings and look for anything described as beauty, face retouching, skin smoothing, automatic scene detection, scene optimization or portrait blur, and turn it off. Check the filter or effects button in the viewfinder and choose none or original. Then confirm you are on the main rear lens at 1x, not the ultra-wide. If you cannot find a setting, take a test shot and compare it with how you look in a mirror: smoothed skin, enlarged eyes or a blurred background mean something is still on.

Take the photo

1. Prop the phone on a steady surface at eye level, or have your helper hold it there, about 4 feet away.
2. Stand several feet in front of the wall so your shadow falls behind you, not on the background.
3. Face the camera squarely, head straight, both eyes open, mouth closed. A neutral face or a natural smile is fine; for online renewal, avoid showing teeth.
4. Tap your face on the screen to focus. Take 10 to 20 frames.
5. Zoom in on each one and keep the sharpest, evenly lit shot with a clean white background.

Shadows or a gray wall mean the light needs work, not the phone. See lighting at home. If photos look soft or grainy, read why passport photos come out blurry.

File format, size and moving the file

For online renewal the State Department accepts JPG, JPEG, PNG, HEIC and HEIF files between 54 KB and 10 MB, in color and taken in the last 6 months. A normal photo from a modern Android phone falls inside that size range. To check, open the photo in your gallery app and view its details, which show the file size and resolution.

Do not send the file through a text message; the State Department says that can reduce quality. Apply on the phone itself, or move the original by cable, Google Drive or email. Never screenshot the photo, and never photograph or scan a printed copy.

The online tool lets you crop and reposition the photo during the application, so you do not need to crop it beforehand. Leave some room around your head. For the rest of the process, see how to renew your passport online, and for the exact pixel and size rules, the digital passport photo size guide.

If you need 2x2 prints

Mail renewal (DS-82) and in-person applications (DS-11) need 1 printed photo, 2 x 2 inches, with your head 1 to 1 3/8 inches from chin to top of head, on matte or glossy photo paper. Crop to a square first, then print. See how to print 2x2 passport photos.