Google brings selfie flash to Camera app

Google updates its native camera app to bring a new feature selfie lovers will like. The Google Camera now has a selfie flash. This feature (and the others that’ll be mentioned below) are designed to work for recent Nexus and Pixel devices that run Android 7.1.1 and above. What the app does is it adds a beige color light right after you take the photo to bring a bit more light into the shot. Google opted to use a warmer color instead of a flash of bright white to make it look a bit more natural. However, as The Verge points out, this feature doesn’t seem to have automatic white balance like that on the iPhone’s camera.

It’s easy to enable the feature, you just need to tap on the Flash icon when you’re in front-facing mode and toggle between automatic or on. You know the feature is enabled if a beige block is covering the menu bar at the bottom. Aside from this, version 4.4 of Google Camera introduces shortcut gestures like swipe to toggle between shooting stills and videos and double tap to zoom.

New handy Instant Tethering feature for Android comes to Pixel and Nexus devices

One of the things we expect from our gadgets is that they just work. No need to toggle anything, they just have to work. Google is turning that into a reality with its own devices. Called Instant Tethering, the feature will let a select number of devices instantly use the same cellular data connection of a smartphone when it sees that there is a connection and sufficient battery life. At the moment the feature is available to any Pixel, Pixel XL, Nexus 6, Nexus 5X, or Nexus 6P running Android 7.1.1. All the aforementioned smartphones can serve as the host for another support device as long as it’s signed into the same Google account. You don’t even need to turn on the hotspot anymore or input any passwords, it’ll just work.

And you don’t even have to shut it off, too. When 10 minutes have passed when you last used a device that tethered to your smartphone, it’ll cut off the connection itself. Saving battery is something Google is paying attention, too. While this isn’t the first time tech manufacturers have done this. It’s good we have one more option. And hopefully more tech companies follow suit.

Source: The Verge