Paid Photoshop Express doesn't process RAW files - Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra

Hey everyone, happy new year! 

 

My new year started not-so-well and this is one of the reasons I'm here. Apart from being down with the flu since 00.00 on 1/1, I discovered that... I cannot edit my phone pics (RAW files, of course) on Photoshop Express. Reasons - technically unknown. When I try to open a RAW file, it says "file unsupported or damaged". Files are OK (*lightroom mobile opens them allright) and I'm using Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra. Have been using this app for like 8 years to edit RAW files and this is the first time I have issues with it. 

 

I did a Google search and my wild guess was 

 

 

Before getting the email response from support, I got in communication with AdobeCare on X and there we had a discussion 3 days ago. Because of that, I need to add some details to the case:

 

I capture my RAW files with the Samsung Expert RAW app (*which gives you full manual control of all camera settings) and I always use the "loseless RAW" option. It had never been an issue before. RAW files created with the expert RAW app (this is a genuine Samsung camera app, screenshot attached of how it looks in Galaxy store) used to be edited allright on Photoshop Express up until July last year (the date is a rough estimate, as those are the oldest RAW files I found on my phone that worked).

 

New RAW files created with Expert RAW cannot be edited by Photoshop Express. The person from AdobeCare (who also happened to have Samsung S23) also checked that and they couldn't do anything about it. I'm betting they thought I'm just making it up at first, but after trying for themselves, they saw that, well, the app doesn't work the way it used to be and the way it is supposed to. 

 

HOWEVER, any RAW file captured by the regular Samusung camera app (both apps are literally created by Samsung, mund you) can be edited by Photoshop Express. Thing is, the regular camera app has way less camera settings available. Both files are RAW files (DNG) and they seem identical to me. The Adobe Care person suggested that maybe there is a difference in how the two RAW files are encoded in different apps. 

 

Thing is, I never had this problem before and I've always used the Expert RAW app (*which is created by Samsung for photography maniacs, I guess). I need that app to create the images the phone is capable of (just to note, I am a photographer, but sometimes the best camera is the one in your hands, so yep, I do create some art with my phone and yep, some of those images cannot be told apart from ones created with a DSLR). I still have Lightroom Mobile to cover for me, but it's fumbly and slow and I much prefer Photoshop Express. 

 

So, I'm guessing it is:
A) a new version of Expert RAW which is not yet compatible with Express
B) a new version of Express that doesn't have all drivers (*whatever they are called in an app)

Either way, those two did work well together up until just a firmware update or two. So I would vote it's not a setting on my phone (tried everything available). It's something in one, if not both apps. 

 

I love Expert RAW as it turns my phone into a professional camera. But I am paying for Photoshop Express anyway and I love it. And I want to use it on files that matter.  So, any ideas here?