Pixel Camera App Gets External Mic Support Alongside Pixel 3 Launch

Google's new Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL devices were revealed earlier this week, and to almost no surprise the phones are ready to hold their title as having some of the best cameras around. One of the key reasons for this is that the Pixel doesn't just rely on optics hardware, but also uses advanced software in the custom Pixel Camera app to capture great images. This continues with the latest generation, but next week's launch also sees the app get a long-awaited feature.

Until now, Pixel owners haven't been able to use an external microphone with the default camera app. They've either had to go without improved audio capture, or use a third-party camera app, which means giving up the Pixel's custom software for photos and video. A Google employee has now directly confirmed that this changes on October 18th, the same day the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL debut.

Pixel 3's biggest camera features

An engineer from the Pixel Camera team posted a response on Google's product forums, stating that the launch of the Pixel 3 will also see the default Pixel Camera app updated to support "Android-compatible plugged-in external microphones." Even better is that update will be coming to the camera apps on the Pixel 2 and original Pixel as well.

This should be a welcome upgrade to Pixel users wanting to record videos with the best possible audio, assuming they have the necessary USB-C to headphone jack adapter needed on the Pixel 2 and Pixel 3.

SOURCE Google