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Google’s pulling another classic move with Pixel phones. The Connected Cameras feature that launched as a Pixel 9 exclusive is now quietly showing up on older models like the Pixel 8, Pixel 7, and even the Pixel 6a. If you’ve owned a Pixel for a while, this probably doesn’t surprise you, Google loves to dangle shiny new features as “exclusives” before eventually sharing the love with older devices.
What Connected Cameras Actually Does
The Connected Cameras feature lets you turn another Pixel phone or GoPro into a remote camera for livestreaming. You can switch between your main device and the remote camera in real-time while streaming on YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, or Facebook. It’s basically like having your own mini TV studio setup, which is pretty cool for content creators who don’t want to shell out for expensive multi-camera rigs.
According to reports from Android Authority, Pixel users have been spotting the feature in their settings even though Google’s official support page still lists it as Pixel 9-only.
Google’s Backporting Strategy
Google has made this move countless times before. Remember when Call Screen was a Pixel 3 exclusive? Eventually rolled out to older models. Night Sight? Same story. Magic Editor, Astrophotography Mode, Live Caption – the list goes on.
One of the advantages of owning a Pixel is that Google offers exclusive software features that other Android devices don’t have. However, Google usually makes these features exclusive to the latest Pixel phones, which makes sense as Google is trying to encourage users to buy their latest devices. But we’ve seen that eventually, Google does bring some of those features to older devices.
This pattern is actually one of the underrated perks of Pixel ownership. While other manufacturers might lock features behind hardware upgrades, Google often finds ways to bring the good stuff to phones you already own. Take the Camouflage feature that started as a Pixel 6a exclusive before landing on the regular Pixel 6 series.
The post Google Does It Again: Pixel 9 Camera Features Quietly Rolls Out to Older Models appeared first on Phandroid.
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What Connected Cameras Actually Does
The Connected Cameras feature lets you turn another Pixel phone or GoPro into a remote camera for livestreaming. You can switch between your main device and the remote camera in real-time while streaming on YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, or Facebook. It’s basically like having your own mini TV studio setup, which is pretty cool for content creators who don’t want to shell out for expensive multi-camera rigs.
According to reports from Android Authority, Pixel users have been spotting the feature in their settings even though Google’s official support page still lists it as Pixel 9-only.
Google’s Backporting Strategy
Google has made this move countless times before. Remember when Call Screen was a Pixel 3 exclusive? Eventually rolled out to older models. Night Sight? Same story. Magic Editor, Astrophotography Mode, Live Caption – the list goes on.
One of the advantages of owning a Pixel is that Google offers exclusive software features that other Android devices don’t have. However, Google usually makes these features exclusive to the latest Pixel phones, which makes sense as Google is trying to encourage users to buy their latest devices. But we’ve seen that eventually, Google does bring some of those features to older devices.
This pattern is actually one of the underrated perks of Pixel ownership. While other manufacturers might lock features behind hardware upgrades, Google often finds ways to bring the good stuff to phones you already own. Take the Camouflage feature that started as a Pixel 6a exclusive before landing on the regular Pixel 6 series.
The post Google Does It Again: Pixel 9 Camera Features Quietly Rolls Out to Older Models appeared first on Phandroid.
More...
