🐛 Android: `Frame.hasPixelBuffer` is true for PRIVATE frames but `getPixelBuffer()` throws "Unknown HardwareBuffer format"

[lagudafuadtosin]

Prerequisites

• I have read and followed every applicable step in the Nitro Modules Troubleshooting guide.
• I have read the VisionCamera Troubleshooting guide.
• I have searched existing issues and found nothing matching.
• I am on the latest version of react-native-vision-camera, or have a specific reason I cannot upgrade.

Reproduction

#4206 (existing harness test in visioncamera.frame.harness.ts, 'reports native buffers and conditionally reads pixel buffers')

Steps to reproduce

1. Build the example app and run the frame tests on a Galaxy A14: bun run test:harness:android -- --testPathPatterns=frame
2. Watch the test named "reports native buffers and conditionally reads pixel buffers". It fails.
3. Or in app: create a frame output with pixelFormat 'native'. In the frame callback frame.hasPixelBuffer says true, then frame.getPixelBuffer() throws.

What did you expect to happen?

If hasPixelBuffer is true, getPixelBuffer() returns a buffer. If the native buffer has no readable pixel layout, hasPixelBuffer is false and the caller uses getNativeBuffer().

What actually happened?

The HAL delivers PRIVATE images backed by a HardwareBuffer with format 0x22 (IMPLEMENTATION_DEFINED), usage 0x20133 (includes USAGE_CPU_READ_OFTEN), 0 planes. ImageProxy.hasPixelBuffer only checks the CPU-read usage bits and returns true. getPixelBuffer() takes the ArrayBuffer.wrap(hardwareBuffer) fast path and Nitro throws because an implementation-defined format has no bytes-per-pixel.

So I found this by running the full harness suite on a Galaxy A14 (SM-A145F, Android 15).

Fix in #4206: and it require a format with a fixed pixel layout as well as the usage bits, frame suite 15/15 on the A14 with it.

Affected platforms

Android (device)

Device(s) affected

Samsung Galaxy A14 (SM-A145F), Android 15, security patch 2026-05-05

VisionCamera version

5.2.3 (main at 91bae1f)

React Native version

0.85.3

React Native architecture

New Architecture (Fabric / bridgeless)

Features being used

• Preview
• Photo capture
• Video capture
• Frame Processors (worklets)
• Skia Frame Processors
• Code/Barcode Scanner
• Location metadata
• Multi-cam
• Depth data
• HDR / custom dynamic range
• Custom format / FPS / resolution

Relevant logs / stack trace

Frame.getPixelBuffer(...): Cannot get bytes per pixel: Unknown HardwareBuffer format!

Additional context

No response

Submission

• The reproduction I linked is either (preferred) a PR against this repo that adds a failing harness test following the harness-tests README, or (fallback) a public repo that reproduces the bug on a fresh clone. I understand the issue will be closed without one.
• I pasted logs as text (not screenshots).
• I wrote this report in my own words. I did not paste AI-generated descriptions of the bug.