When the Google Pixel 5 and the Pixel 4A 5G were launched earlier this month, one of their different camera features was the ability to use an ultrawide lens for ‘Astrophotography’ images. This was also something that was inspired when these smartphones were launched. However, it looks like Google has quietly removed this feature with the Camera 8.1 update in November.
If you are not aware, the ‘Astrophotography’ feature allows you to take night views of the skies, using the Night Sight tab in the Google camera. You can still hold the Pixel phone using a tripod or put it back against a stable surface. As soon as the camera detects no movement, it displays a message at the top of the screen saying “Astrophotography on” and the shutter button changes from a moon image to stars.
Left (Old) vs Right (New). (9to5Google)
If you are using these two Android smartphones, it was previously possible to switch to the ultrawide lens by tapping the “.6x” option or by pinning out for the ‘Astrophotography’ feature. This basically allowed you to capture more skies with a 107-degree view.
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But none of that is possible with Google Camera 8.1. The wider lens, after the upgrade, is only available in regular Night Sight but not for ‘Astrophotography’ images. Now, a message is telling you to move to 1x for Astrophotography. In addition, a Google support document was updated in early November, stating “On Pixel 4a (5G) and Pixel 5, astrophotography only works on zoom settings equal to or greater than 1x.”
As announced by Google 9to5, you can apply updates to the Google Camera app and move to the older version 7.6 to use the ultrawide lens for ‘Astrophotography’. It’s worth noting that the 7.6 version is the only one that came out of the box with the Pixel 5 and Pixel 4A 5G.