Pixel 7 Pro camera update gives you better control over macro mode

What you need to know

• Google is rolling out version 8.7.250 to the Pixel 7 Pro for its camera app.
• This update brings new settings for the Macro Focus feature.
• The new camera version also removes the camera's double-tap setting, but its zoom function remains.

Google's Pixel 7 Pro gains some new settings for its up-close feature, Macro Focus, with its latest camera update.

According to 9to5Google, Google camera version 8.7.250 is now rolling out, and users should begin to take notice of some new settings centered around the Macro Focus feature. This update makes Macro Focus more accessible by featuring it alongside a few other quick camera settings. It also now appears in a pop-up settings menu after tapping the top-left menu button in the camera viewfinder.

Thanks to the update, Pixel 7 Pro photographers can decide whether or not they'd like Macro Focus to function automatically (Auto), always on, or off entirely. If Macro Focus is off and you become too close to an object, a slashed white flower will appear, letting you know the function is not currently enabled.

When set to auto, a yellow flower will appear once you're within macro mode range, and a message will alert you to the lens switch. On other hand, if you've set Macro Focus to always persist, a yellow will appear much like the auto option, but a new message will state, "Macro is locked."

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This new update essentially replaces and adds some more flexibility for users with Macro Focus. As 9to5 informs, in the previous version, Google enabled Macro Focus automatically. The indicator would appear once you were in the close enough range, allowing users to disable it temporarily. This new update just leaves it to the user how they want to operate the macro mode for photos in a more convenient way.

Google camera's recent update also removes the double-tap action from camera settings, meaning you can no longer decide how it functions. You are still able to double-tap while in the camera app to zoom, but Google has seemingly removed the option to change how it works or to disable it completely.

This Google camera update is beginning to roll out just three days after the company released its December feature drop for Pixels. This update brings in the long-awaited update to its recorder app, which adds speaker labels alongside Google's promised free Google One VPN for the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro.