Pixel Camera 9.8 rolls out alongside the March Feature Drop with new tweaks

(Image credit: Andrew Myrick / Android Central)

What you need to know

Shortly after releasing the March Feature Drop with new camera upgrades, Pixel Camera 9.8 is rolling out.
The small update includes a toggle that lets users disable animation in astrophotography shots.
It's rolling out now in the Google Play Store, but may take some time to show up for everyone.

Google shipped a few neat Pixel Camera features with the March Feature Drop this week, and now a new update for Pixel Camera is rolling out to match. As spotted by 9to5Google, Pixel Camera 9.8 is becoming available through the Google Play Store with a few settings menu tweaks and support for March Feature Drop updates. This is a minor update, with the bulk of the new features being attributed to the most recent Pixel Feature Drop.

The highlight of the Pixel Camera 9.8 update is a toggle for "Turn on animation for Astrophotography" in the app's settings menu. Animation was already present in astrophotography shots, and this toggle is still enabled by default. However, this is the first time Google made it possible for end users to disable them. You can find the toggle by navigating to Settings > Advanced in Pixel Camera 9.8.

The other tweak, as noted by 9to5Google, is a change in wording for the description of the Palm Timer toggle in settings. The description now reads, "Start a photo timer by showing your palm to the front or rear cameras." Previously, it only listed compatibility with the front camera.

Dual Screen Preview on the Pixel Fold. — (Image credit: Google)

The rest of the features in Pixel Camera 9.8 were bundled with the March Feature Drop, which we have all the details on here. They include Dual Screen Preview for video recording for Pixel Fold users, and Add Me support for Dual Screen Preview on the Pixel 9 Pro Fold. Additionally, Connected Cameras allow you to use another Pixel or a GoPro as a remote camera for livestreaming and recording.

This is the latest Pixel Camera update, and it's a relatively small one. The last patch update for Pixel Camera 9.7 was also minor, and an earlier version of Pixel Camera added Quick access settings. Before that, version 9.6 added an underwater mode, easier astrophotography mode access, and vertical panoramas.

Brady is a tech journalist for Android Central, with a focus on news, phones, tablets, audio, wearables, and software. He has spent the last three years reporting and commenting on all things related to consumer technology for various publications. Brady graduated from St. John's University with a bachelor's degree in journalism. His work has been published in XDA, Android Police, Tech Advisor, iMore, Screen Rant, and Android Headlines. When he isn't experimenting with the latest tech, you can find Brady running or watching Big East basketball.