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Sony now charges a subscription to use expensive Xperia phones as camera monitors - Liliputing (liliputing.com)
submitted 4 weeks ago by lgsp@feddit.it to c/enshittification@lemmy.world
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from the article:

For several years Sony had offered a free “External Monitor” app that let you use select Xperia-branded phones as an external display for some of the company’s high-end cameras. The Xperia 1 VII originally shipped without that feature, but now you can use the phone as camera display… if you pay at least $5 per month or $50 per year for a subscription.

Not only that, but for older phones that had these features for free, with the new version of the app, some features are locked behind subscription:

But on August 28, 2025, Sony announced an update that “expanded paid plan lineup for greater flexibility.” That flexibility locks a few key features behind a paywall, including: ...

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[-] Dirk@lemmy.ml 1 points 4 weeks ago

That flexibility locks a few key features behind a paywall, including: …

…

  • High-resolution monitoring: Connect a Sony Xperia phone to your camera with a USB Type-C cable to use the phone as an external display.
  • Snapshot: Save monitored footage as a snapshot along with shooting data.
  • Cropping and framing: Subscribers get up to 10 presets instead of just 2.
  • Multi-camera monitoring: Free and Basic (subscription) users can monitor up to 4 cameras, but you’ll need a Basic or Premium subscription (with support for up to 20 cameras) if you want to change settings on all cameras simultaneously.

Some users have reported that they can still sideload Sony’s older (and now discontinued) External Monitor app on the Xperia 1 VII and other phones in order to use their mobile phones as camera displays without paying for a subscription. But it’s unclear how long this will continue to work. And since Sony is no longer updating that application, users will miss out on any new features or bug fixes.

[-] TheBat@lemmy.world -1 points 4 weeks ago

This affects around 19 people still using Xperia phones.

this post was submitted on 03 Sep 2025
3 points (100.0% liked)

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