Google sneakily removed astrophotography mode support from ultra-wide cameras on Pixel 5 and 4a 5G

Usually the holidays are a time for gifting, however, following a camera update earlier this fall, users recently discovered that Google removed the ability to use Astrophotography mode with the ultra-wide cameras on the Pixel 5. and Pixel 4a 5G.

When the Pixel 5 and Pixel 4a 5G were first released, Google’s astrophotography mode (which was introduced last year along with the Pixel 4) was available for use on phones’ main and ultra-wide cameras. Unfortunately, it seems that after releasing version 8.1 of the Google Camera app Which added a handful of features to older Pixel phones, the newer Pixel 5 and 4a 5G also lost the ability to use Astrophotography mode with their wide angle lenses.

While Google hasn’t provided an official explanation for this change, it has since updated its Support page to note that “On Pixel 4a (5G) and Pixel 5, astrophotography only works with zoom settings equal to or greater than 1x”.

Currently, it is unclear what caused Google to disable astrophotography mode from working. with ultra wide cams. meIf you look at some sample shots posted on the Pixel support community, a possible explanation may to be Some mediocre results.

In a thread on the Pixel support page, several users posted side-by-side comparisons taken before the update that show astrophotography photos taken with a Pixel ultra-wide lens that appear noticeably grainy or of lower quality (often with a deep green tint) than shots taken by the phone. main cam.

Because it was possible to take astrophotography photos with a Pixel’s ultra-wide lens before the update, following reports of less than stellar results, Google may have decided to temporarily disable the feature while investigating the problem and potentially working on a fix. Gizmodo has reached out to Google for more information and we will provide an update if we receive a response.

Given the time it took for this change to become noticeable, the loss of support for Astrophotography mode on the Pixel 5 and 4a 5G ultra-wide cameras is probably not a big deal for most people, but it’s a somewhat of a change anyway. disappointing, so we hope Google can release a fix soon.