Matthew Miller/ZDNET
One of the most underrated features of the Google Pixel Watch just got a little bit better.
Users’ ability to control their Pixel phone camera with their Pixel Watch is a pretty convenient — but limited — feature. Using the Camera app on a paired Google watch, users can take a photo from their phone without touching it — perfect for situations where you want a photo but don’t have someone to take it.
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There’s an option to add a three-second timer plus an option to toggle between the front and back camera and zoom in or out, but that’s it. If you wanted another camera mode, you’d have to switch modes on your phone.
That’s now changed thanks to a recent update to the Pixel Watch Camera app. Now, the camera app is split into three sections: camera, modes, and timer.
The camera portion enables users to flip between cameras, zoom in and out, and snap a photo — nothing new. But the modes section adds the ability to flip between the camera’s different photo modes, including Night Sight, portrait, video, slow motion, and time-lapse. Timer now adds the option to choose from a three-second or ten-second timer, or disable the timer altogether.
The new features do add a few extra taps to the process of taking a photo, but they add some pretty significant functionality. This could be especially useful on the Pixel Fold, which would be able to stand on its own to take photos.
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You’ll have access to the new camera options if you have version 9.2 of the Pixel Watch Camera app, which is available to both Pixel Watch and Pixel Watch 2 users.