Google adds Photo Sphere-like Panorama mode to Pixel 8 series: What's new

Google has rolled out a new guided Panorama mode to the Pixel 8 series, bringing back Photo Sphere-style controls and Night Sight support

Google has added a new Panorama mode to the Pixel 8 series, bringing back some of the functionality of the now discontinued Photo Sphere feature According to a report by 9To5Google, the updated Panorama mode is rolling out through a recent Pixel Camera app update and closely resembles the guided capture experience that Photo Sphere was known for. 

 

The new mode was first introduced with the Pixel 9 lineup and has now made its way to the Pixel 8 series via Pixel Camera version 10.2, which began rolling out earlier this month.

Panorama mode on Pixel 8 series: What’s new

The updated Panorama mode features a redesigned, step-by-step interface that guides users through the capture process. Instead of freely sweeping the phone across a scene, the camera app now shows a series of dots on screen, prompting users where to move next. Contextual text prompts appear below the viewfinder, and a built-in level indicator helps keep the phone aligned while shooting. 

  As the user moves the phone and captures different segments, a small live preview of the stitched image appears above the viewfinder.

 

Tapping the settings icon in the Panorama interface allows users to choose the capture direction. Users can start panning left or right in portrait mode, or switch to up-and-down capture by rotating the phone to landscape orientation.

 

As per the report, the new Panorama mode also works alongside Night Sight. Users can set Night Sight to Off, Auto, or On, allowing panoramas to be captured in low-light conditions with improved brightness and detail.

 

  Unlike older panorama implementations that relied on video capture, Google is using the Pixel’s HDR+ photo pipeline to create stitched panoramas. According to the report, this approach captures more image data than video-based methods, resulting in better detail, dynamic range, and overall image quality.

Availability

The new Panorama mode appears to have rolled out to the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro with Pixel Camera version 10.2. Notably, the report stated that the feature does not currently show up on the Pixel 7 Pro, even when running the same app version.