The fashion for creating pictures of yourself 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 the camera (or smartphone) on their outstretched arms.
Selfie Stick Destination
If you've ever taken a selfie (“taking a picture of yourself”), then you know how inconvenient it is to capture the camera at once for all the people standing near you. Moreover, the photo needs to be done so that you yourself get into the frame at the most favorable angle. The length of the hand of the person holding the photographing device does not allow taking a photo at a sufficient distance, which is why this whole mod appeared on selfie sticks. Previously, people asked each other to take a photo with them, but now this task has been greatly simplified by a single gadget. About what a selfie stick is, how this device works and what the reason for its malfunction may be, read in this article.
Task
So, let's start with what purpose this device fulfills. As mentioned above, for a better shot, it is necessary that the distance between the object (people who take “selfies”) and the camera itself be slightly larger than the length of the average hand. The function of such an “extension cord" is performed by a selfie stick. How does the whole mechanism that makes your smartphone take a photo at the right time? It is 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 the device’s operation is very simple: first, 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 various means. Read more about them further.
Types of mechanism. Tripod
There are dozens of types of selfie sticks in electronics and gadget stores. They come in different colors, made of different materials, functioning differently. For example, there are the simplest sticks, holders. Their task is simply elementary - there is a tripod handle and there is a device in order to fix the smartphone at its end. The user must install the phone in this mount, configure the option of an independent photo in it by gesture, whistle or after a certain period of time and put the stick in it.
Types of mechanism. The wire
A more complex design is characterized by a “wired” selfie stick. How such a gadget works, you can already guess from its name, which we cited above. The design “tripod with mount for smartphone” is saved, but now a special wire is connected to the phone (3.5 mm jack connector). With it, your stick will signal the phone that you need to take a picture. On the user’s side (at the other end of the tripod) there is a button - clicking it will take a photo using your mobile device.
Types of mechanism. Bluetooth
Wireless connection is the second type with which it transmits a signal to a smartphone selfie stick. 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 universal solutions for both of the most popular mobile platforms. Sometimes a device can function with iOS, but ignore Android.
Therefore, if your selfie stick doesn’t work on Android, you need to try it on your gadget with iOS - and vice versa. Such checks will make it clear exactly what the cause of this problem is: some technical problems, software, or simple device incompatibility. In the latter case, you will have to think about selling this gadget and buying a new one.
Incompatibility may also occur in the mismatch of individual models. For example, you can often observe a situation when 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 on other devices, everything can work perfectly.
Mechanical damage
You already roughly know how a selfie stick works. As it turned out, there is nothing super complicated in this. The mechanism here is quite simple, but it is 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 breakdowns 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 used to function normally and there were no problems with it, you should know that mechanical damage most likely prevented its further work. It can damage simple plastic “camera holders” quickly enough, while more expensive and metal-made 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. It is necessary to understand what exactly was the cause of the failure, and eliminate this cause. Perhaps there is nothing serious - and it's just closing contacts. On the other hand, there are more serious situations: when the electronics break down (for example, a Bluetooth adapter), then nothing can help this gadget - you need to purchase a new one.
Software
What should I do if the selfie stick does not work, but has not been mechanically damaged? Well, in this case, the software on your device should be blamed. This could be, for example, a misconfigured camera. In such situations, when taking pictures with a stick, it is better to use the special “Camera” application, rather than the standard one — you will get access to more settings. For example, Camera 360 enjoys 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 monopod photos.
If you find that the problem is in the “software”, try to configure the application to interact with a selfie stick from another provider, 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 learned how a selfie stick works with and without a button. In fact, you can understand how this or that selfie stick is structured if you just spend some time with it while looking at the construction site. There is nothing complicated here: more budget ones - it’s just a handset with a mount, while more expensive modifications are also a convenient button for creating pictures and even a Bluetooth connection to a smartphone to create photos.
In fact, the designs of the sticks are different, although it all comes down to one thing - creating a picture and uploading it to social networks.
If your selfie stick doesn’t 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 is different from the OS of your smartphone. There are many reasons, but one solution - it is necessary to determine what is wrong and solve the problem. If it cannot be resolved, you can purchase a new monopod. Depending on its characteristics, in the transition it can be found 700-800 rubles. On the Internet, on a site with fake gadgets, its price tag is set at between 700 and 2000 rubles (again, it depends on build quality and materials).
Buy carefully!
Also important is the way the selfie stick works in extreme conditions. Choosing this accessory in the store, you don’t think about what kind of tests the gadget may face. You are not going to take pictures exclusively at home?
Therefore, make sure that the monopod has a reinforced structure, has a reliable retainer and photographs upon your request. After all, the security of the phone or camera depends on how securely the mobile device is installed on your stick. Especially, I repeat, this does not apply to home, but to street and “wild” conditions (somewhere in the field, in the forest and in the mountains, the photos are especially attractive).