What you need to know
- Google starts rolling out version 9.2 of Pixel Camera, which extends coverage of the app's UI changes to several older Pixel phones.
- The changes shift several photo options into a smaller carousel on the bottom of the app while others shift into a menu on the viewfinder.
- The Pixel 8 series exclusively gains the "Night Sight in Time Lapse" feature, extending the duration of videos using Night Sight and Time Lapse.
Google is rolling out an update for its Pixel Camera but the app is also roping in several past-gen flagship phones.
The rollout of version 9.2 of Pixel Camera will bring the app's new UI to many of the older Pixel phones that have been left behind on v9.0, per 9to5Google. Such changes include Google moving Brightness, Shadow, and White balance from the left and right side of the UI into a smaller carousel on the bottom of the interface.
Another notable change involves flash, Top Shot, Timer, Ratio, and other options dropping into a new menu accessed by swiping up on the viewfinder.
The base Pixel 8 specifically gains a "Reset all" button on the left, which was previously only featured on the Pixel 8 Pro.
Meanwhile, Google News on Telegram detailed the new additions the Pixel 8 series is receiving through v9.2 of the Pixel Camera app. Both phones will exclusively have access to Google's "Night Sight in Time Lapse" feature. This brings a separate Time Lapse setting that users can alter to record longer Night Sight videos.
Users recording at 1080p for five minutes will produce a 10-second time-lapse video. Additionally, if you're recording at 4K resolution for 20 minutes, the Pixel Camera app will produce a 10-second time-lapse video, as well.
Google's "Palm Timer" is receiving a QoL enhancement, letting users enable the feature without needing a timer active beforehand. Comparatively, you can restrict Palm Timer's activation to whenever a timer is active if you don't always need it enabled. The company launched Palm Timer in June's Pixel feature drop, which lets Pixel 6 or newer devices lets everyone take a selfie by raising their hand.
Lastly, the v9.2 update adds a separate switch for Ultra HDR photos in "Advanced" settings. This not only lets Pixel 8 users disable the feature but also brings Ultra HDR capture (as well as the setting to enable "Rich color in photos") to older Pixel devices.
The Pixel Camera app's update is beginning to arrive through the Play Store, but it may take some time before every Pixel phone sees it.
The update comes just ahead of the Android 14 feature drop for December, which we expect to land any day now. The company's last beta build for the big update for the drop was early in November, which held quite a few fixes for those enrolled. With December now here, the feature drop is said to hold several improvements like overriding aspect ratio in apps on the Pixel Fold and Pixel Tablet.
Moreover, there appear to be a few new features for the Pixel 8 that Google withheld during its launch in October.
King of the Androids
Google's Pixel 8 Pro pushes the boundaries of what AI software can do for a great set of cameras. The device features a 50MP primary lens that takes features like Magic Editor in stride for removing people and any blemishes found after capturing a memory. Best Take comes in so users can find the perfect set of smiles when everyone's acting silly.
