The fashion for taking pictures of oneself arose relatively recently, firmly strengthening its leading position in social networks. As a result, now the vast majority of your friends take pictures on their own, holding a camera (or smartphone) at arm's length.
The purpose of the selfie stick
If you've ever taken a selfie (“picture of yourself”), then you know how inconvenient it is to cover all the people standing near you with the camera at once. Moreover, the photo needs to be done in such a way that you yourself get into the frame at the most favorable angle possible. The length of the arm of the person holding the photographic device does not allow them to take a photo at a sufficient distance, which is why this whole fashion for selfie sticks has arisen. Previously, people asked each other to take a photo with them, but now this task has been greatly simplified due to a single gadget. Read this article about what a selfie stick is, how this device works and what may be the cause of its malfunction.
Task
So, let's start with the purpose of this device. As mentioned above, for a better picture, it is necessary that the distance between the object (people who take “selfies”) and themselvesthe camera was slightly longer than the length of the average hand. The function of such an “extension” is performed by a selfie stick. How does the whole mechanism work that makes your smartphone take a photo at the right moment? Very simple - using a remote switch or a Bluetooth transmitter (depending on the type of monopod, more on that later).
That is, the principle of operation of the device is very simple: firstly, you need to fix the smartphone at a certain distance from those who will be photographed; secondly, you need to give the phone a signal when to take a photo. This is a principle, and its implementation is carried out by different means. Read more about them below.
Mechanism types. Tripod
There are dozens of types of selfie sticks in electronics and gadget stores. They come in different colors, are made of different materials, and function differently. For example, there are the simplest sticks, holders. Their task is simply elementary - there is a tripod handle and a device for attaching a smartphone to its end. The user must install the phone in this mount, set up the option of a self-photo in it by gesture, whistle or after a certain period of time and point the stick.
Mechanism types. Wire
The “wired” selfie stick has a more complex design. How such a gadget works, you can already guess by its name, which we gave above. The “tripod with smartphone mount” design is retained, but now a special wire is connected to the phone (headphone jack, 3.5 mm). FROMwith it, your stick will signal to your phone to take a picture. On the user side (at the other end of the tripod) there is a button - by pressing it, you will take a photo using your mobile device.
Mechanism types. Bluetooth
Wireless connection - the second type, with the help of which the selfie stick transmits a signal to the smartphone. How this device works is also easy to guess: it connects to the phone like a headset, via the Bluetooth protocol. Naturally, no wires are required for this: the user simply presses the button - and the monopod takes a photo. The downside is that such a gadget (unlike all others) requires a power source. Therefore, a battery will be provided in such a stick.
Compatibility
Users have a question why the selfie stick does not work. After all, it would seem that in order to take a picture, you do not need to use any complex technologies or innovative solutions. However, one of the major issues with selfie sticks is compatibility. As it turned out, not all of them are a universal solution for both of the most popular mobile platforms. Sometimes a device can function with iOS but ignore Android.
Therefore, if a selfie stick does not work on Android, you need to try it on an iOS gadget - and vice versa. Such checks will make it clear exactly what the cause of this problem is: in some technical problems, software orsimple device incompatibility. In the latter case, you will have to think about selling this gadget and buying a new one.
Also, incompatibility can also manifest itself in the discrepancy between individual models. For example, you can often observe a situation where the selfie stick on Lenovo does not work. For some reason, some models of this brand are not adapted to interact with a monopod, which is why such problems are observed. It's amazing that everything can work perfectly on other devices.
Mechanical damage
You already know roughly how a selfie stick works. As it turned out, there is nothing super complicated in this. The mechanism here is quite simple, but at the same time effective and functional. Although this does not mean that in practice you can never break a monopod. On the contrary, the cause of falls and other mechanical failures is most likely to “separate” the owner from his devices. In such situations, as a rule, the question arises: why does the selfie stick not work?
If you are sure that the device functioned normally before and there were no problems with it, you should know that, most likely, mechanical damage prevented its further operation. It can destroy simple plastic "camera mounts" fairly quickly, while more expensive metal monopods can last longer.
In this case, if the selfie stick does not work (on Android or not - there is no difference), you need to try to fix it yourself. Need to figure out whatspecifically caused the failure, and eliminate this cause. Perhaps there is nothing serious - and this is just a contact closure. On the other hand, there are more serious situations: when electronics break down (for example, a Bluetooth adapter), then nothing can help this gadget - you need to purchase a new one.
Software
What to do if the selfie stick does not work, but it has not been mechanically damaged? Well, in this case, the software on your device is to blame. This could be, for example, an incorrectly configured camera. In such situations, when taking pictures with a stick, it is better to use the dedicated Camera application rather than the standard one - you will have access to more settings. For example, Camera 360 has a good reputation.
For further work, you should go into the program and set the parameters with which you would like to take pictures. Some of them are adapted for photos from a monopod.
If you have determined that the problem is in the “software”, try to configure the application to interact with a selfie stick from another vendor, download a different version from the Google Play store. In this case, there is a chance that everything will work for you.
Conclusions
So, you have learned how a selfie stick works with and without a button. In fact, you can get an idea of how a selfie stick works if you just spend some time looking at it with it. There is nothing complicated here: more budgetary ones are just a tube with a mount, while more expensive modifications are also a convenient button for taking pictures and even a Bluetooth connection to a smartphone in order to take a photo.
Actually, sticks have different designs, although it all boils down to one thing - taking a picture and uploading to social networks. If your selfie stick does not work, check the cause of the problem. We remind you that this could be the lack of the necessary software, the incompatibility of the device with the phone, orientation to another operating system that differs from the OS of your smartphone. There are many reasons, but one solution - you need to determine what is wrong and solve the problem. If it cannot be resolved, you can purchase a new monopod. Depending on its characteristics, you can find it in the transition for 700-800 rubles. On the Internet, on a site with fake gadgets, its price tag is set at a level between 700 and 2000 rubles (again, depends on the build quality and materials).
Buy carefully
Also, how the selfie stick works in extreme conditions also plays an important role. Choosing this accessory in the store, you don’t think about what tests the gadget may face. You are not going to take pictures exclusively at home, are you?
Therefore, make sure that the monopod has a reinforced structure, has a secure lock and takes pictures at your request. After all, the safety of the phone or camera depends on how securely the mobile device is installed on your stick. Especially,I repeat, this applies not to home, but to street and “wild” conditions (somewhere in the field, in the forest and in the mountains, the photos are especially attractive).
