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The Google Camera app for Pixel phones, now called Pixel Camera on the Play Store, is widely regarded as one of the best camera apps for Android. It combines the joys of a simplistic user interface (UI) with realistic and accurate color science, which we have come to appreciate. Pixel phones are also great at snapping selfies, which Android makes more accessible through features like the palm timer and Guided Frame. Now, Pixel users are seeing a reminder for the former show up in the Camera app.
Google Pixel cameras haven't been able to detect Frequent Faces for months now
The feature has been disabled 'temporarily'
Google loves introducing Pixel-exclusive camera features, like the Magic Eraser camouflage mode set to debut with the Pixel 6a, or the Real Tone support we got with the Pixel 6 last year. What we don't expect, though, is for that list to suddenly get shorter — yet that's just what's happening with Frequent Faces, which disappeared without a trace from Pixel phones earlier this year.
Check out how Google's new Magic Eraser Camouflage feature works before the Pixel 6a arrives next week
It'll blend distracting objects into the background before your very eyes
While some Android phones might have Google beat at specs, design, or sheer performance, it's hard to compete with the company's software tricks — especially regarding the camera. One of the coolest photo-focused features in years launched alongside the Pixel 6 last year: Magic Eraser. Google is adding some new functionality to this tool with the Pixel 6a next week, but we're already getting a preview ahead of the phone's arrival.
The Pixel 5's camera is so good that I've ditched my mirrorless cam while traveling
Reliably excellent photos in any condition are all I need
A few years ago, the only camera in my pocket/bag was my phone. Starting with the LG G2 and going up to the G3, G4, Galaxy S7 Edge, then Pixel 2 XL, all that I could rely on was my phone and nothing else. I took good photos, great even, but I wanted to learn, improve, and capture better ones, so I bought a mirrorless Olympus cam with several lenses. It accompanied me on my trips to Nepal, the UAE, Spain, and Greece, and I loved using it. But as I was packing for my most recent trip to Belgium, I looked at my Olympus then at my Pixel 5 and made the rash decision to skip the former and rely solely on the latter. I never regretted it.
Latest Google Pixel 6 Pro leak gives us our best look yet
That extra-large camera bump is here to stay
It wouldn't be a Google hardware product if it weren't leaked to hell and back. Less than a week after we got our first real look at the next Pixel flagship, well-known leaker OnLeaks has delivered some new renders that show off the first significant re-design we've seen from Google in years.
Hardware failures may be to blame for increase in reports of Pixel camera issues
Pixels may have some of the best cameras, but they don't work for some
The Google Camera app, an exclusive to the company's Pixel phones, has seen a spate of one-star reviews on the Play Store recently. In fact, its overall rating has declined over the last year and a half from 3.8 stars to 3.3, and details in the bulk of complaints may indicate that the well-known Pixel camera curse is spreading to affect more devices. However, Google tells us there aren't any known app or software issues related to the problem, implying the apparent increase in customer complaints is due to hardware damage.
The Pixel 5's camera APK is available, but you may not be able to install it
Some have no issues with the install, but others aren't so lucky
Now that the newest Pixel phones are out, people are, predictably, trying to install APKs pulled from them onto their older devices. We now have the Google Camera 8 APK uploaded to APK Mirror, but installation stories seem to be a mixed bag.
Pixel 5 and 4a 5G offer three more exclusive camera features
No notification vibrations, more framing hints, hi-res photos in timelapses
The new Pixel 5 and 4a 5G take pride in a long list of new and special camera capabilities, including wide-angle shots, a cinematic pan video effect, and automatic Night Sight and Portrait Light. They'll also have a few additional exclusive features that weren't mentioned in Google's announcement, though we don't know if these will make it to previous-gen Pixels through an upcoming Feature Drop or Camera app update.
Three Hollywood-inspired video effects are launching with the new Pixel phones
Google finally remembered that phones can capture more than just still photos
Google's Pixel phones may offer stellar still photography, but they've never been known to focus much effort on video. That seems to be changing with the release of the Pixel 5 and Pixel 4a 5G. Google is bringing a handful of new "Hollywood-inspired" stabilization effects that should make videos a lot more fun to capture: Locked, Active, and Cinematic Pan.
Pixel 2 camera curse continues — and it's spreading to newer Pixels
Cross your fingers and say a prayer to the Google gods
Pixel phones are renowned for stellar photography — when the camera app is working correctly. Pixel 2 owners, in particular, have complained about camera failures for a long time. We reported on it at the start of 2020, in fact. But even though the worst of this year is hopefully behind us, Pixel 2 users are still having camera problems — and things might be getting worse.
Google Camera 7.5 no longer saves portrait photo pairs in standalone folders
No more organization mess and useless folders!
If you ever owned a Pixel capable of taking portrait photos and you ventured into its storage to back up or move your images, you must have noticed the silly mess of portrait folders. For some reason, each pair got its own separate folder, complicating the use of third-party gallery apps or back up solutions. Thankfully, with Camera 7.5, this issue is no more.
Google Camera 7.5 prepares new features like audio zooming, motion blur, and more
Continual improvement on the software-defined camera experience
The Google camera app is one of the Pixel's biggest selling points — it's the special sauce that makes still photographs on Google's phones so great. Because it's updated through the Play Store, it can bring new capabilities to existing devices without a major Android update. Version 7.5 is out now, and digging into the APK has revealed a snapshot of several upcoming features.
Google's Camera application for the Pixels received an update a couple of days ago from version 6.1 to 6.2. A quick look at the app left us wondering whether anything was new at all, but upon closer inspection we noticed a few changes, some minor and one most of you will love: a dark mode.
Google's latest flagship may have a class-leading camera, but it isn't without its bugs, and now we have another to add to the list. Unfortunately for some, using the camera in third-party apps may trigger an error which disables the camera entirely until you reboot. Even the stock camera app is non-functional until you power cycle the phone.
Turns out that Google's new Night Sight mode for Pixels, formally released just earlier today, has some non-night utility. In a bit of a twist, you can use it in the daytime as well for "denoising and resolution improvements" inherited from another Google Camera feature: Super Res Zoom. The results demonstrated look pretty good, so long as you're willing to hold your Pixel steady.
The biggest advantage of Pixel ownership, outside Google's highly optimized software experience, is the camera. Pixels have been consistently near or at the top of the pack when it comes to photo quality, and in no small part that's because of that Google software. A camera is more than just hardware, image processing can be as (or more) important than simply having a good sensor, and Google has included plenty of camera improvements this year. Let's take a look.
Google's AR efforts go back a few years to the Tango developer devices. It took time for Tango to become a consumer product, and Google killed Tango after just two phone releases. Now it's all about ARCore, which you can experience in the Pixel camera. There's a new version of AR Stickers today that enables two more sticker packs. Strangely, the stickers are a separate download this time.
By now you've probably overdosed on all the Google Pixel reviews (here's ours by the way), but one thing we wanted to focus on was an interesting change in the way the Camera app will handle photo viewing on the phone.