The hot software party has been going on at Google’s offices since yesterday: the company has finally released Android 15 for all Pixels, a hotly anticipated update. Moreover, Google Pixel camera gains new functions; as a kind of diving mode and shooting panoramas in vertical format.

Do you have a Google Pixel 6 or newer? Then we have great news: The stable version of Android 15 is ready for you to download to your phone. Also, Google has released the new “Pixel drop” or update with new features for its phones, so you get the newly made software twice. Or threesome, because the camera has its share of the attention.

Google camera moves up another level with version 9.6

Water mode on Google Pixel 9 camera.

We already have an update for the excellent Google Pixel camera app: if we had tested 9.5 earlier and had access to the previous app renamed GCam, the official and stable app would have reached the 9.6 mark, bringing new features to the phones. Of course, for now they mainly stay on Google Pixel 9, Google Pixel 9 Pro and Google Pixel 9 Pro XL.

The ones getting the most attention in this new update are the three new members of the family, but they’re not the only ones getting the news. The changes coming with Google Camera 9.6 are:

• Taking photos and videos underwater. The camera will present a button at the top of the screen when it detects that the Google Pixel is underwater. It’s integrated into the Google camera for the Pixel 9 family, but this underwater mode is reaching lower-end mobiles in the form of a standalone app (available with dedicated cases for diving).
• Vertical panoramic photos. Pixel 9 owners can take panoramas by moving the mobile phone horizontally as well as vertically as before. The phone displays an option to select the capture direction.
• Astrophotography improvements. It’s easier to enable and customize night sky shots thanks to the switch available in version 9.6. This innovation is coming to Google Pixel 6 and later (it was already available in the latest models).
• Night shots in Instagram application. Google is improving the lighting, colors and contrast of photos taken from the Instagram app using a Google Pixel.
• Improvement in temperature measurement with thermometer. Pixel Pro with thermometer now opens the camera viewfinder to make it easier to measure the temperature of objects.

On the left, temperature measurement with camera viewfinder; accurate, astrophotography customization. Google Pixel 8 Pro

9to5Google discovered that, along with everything already enabled on the compatible Google Pixel, version 9.6 of the camera includes a new feature. menu with manual settings It doesn’t seem to be active in the camera app at the moment. We’ll have to wait for Google to finally release this feature.

Cover image | Ivan Linares

More information | Google

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