Google is rolling out an update for the Pixel Camera app that highlights Astrophotography mode and gives users more control over the timer. It still keeps the Astro mode buried beneath Night Sight, but at least you can control it manually now.
A user in the Google News Telegram channel sideloaded the most recent update of the camera (9.5.118) onto their device, and when they opened the Night Sight mode, a new popup appeared talking about how to use Astrophotography. There seem to be tutorials on using it manually and in automatic mode. In manual mode, you can even set the camera to take a four-minute exposure.
To use it, you must open the Pixel Camera, scroll over the Night Sight mode, and then tap the icon in the bottom right-hand corner. This opens the Night Sight settings and makes a timer appear above the shutter button. If you scroll all the way to the right, you’ll enter Astrophotography mode. When you take an Astro shot, you also get a five-second timer, so when you tap the shutter, you have a few seconds to place the phone somewhere stable and pointed at the sky.
This is pretty cool, and I think Google advertising, a feature that most people are unaware of, is a really great idea. That said, it would have been cool for the camera to recognize when it’s nighttime and automatically move Astrophotography into the main camera carousel to make it even more straightforward. Right now, it’s kind of hidden inside of Night Sight, and the main way you know it’s enabled is a star icon that looks similar to the Gemini logo.
I have this update on my Pixel, and my camera app is version 9.5.118. Having a little more control over the feature is cool, but its simplicity is a bit confusing. For instance, you can only set the Astrophotography timer for four minutes, but in reality, you can pick up your phone at any point within that time to stop the process.
In the end, this is a small update, but now that people can control the Astrophotography mode, it should help it get used a little more, considering it’s always been a bit hidden.
Source: Google News Telegram channel
Image source: Google News Telegram channel
MobileSyrup may earn a commission from purchases made via our links, which helps fund the journalism we provide free on our website. These links do not influence our editorial content. Support us here.
