For a while, the Pixel 7 series has had the Google Camera 8.7 update that brings more tweaks and a long-missed feature. Now it looks like this update is rolling out to older Pixels. Specifically, the update revives the feature Frequent faces on older Pixels after it was disabled earlier this year. Google quietly disabled the feature in May, and sources later confirmed it was due to a bug.
The Frequent Faces feature identifies faces of people you photograph often and then recommends that you take better pictures of them. It is also used in conjunction with the Real Tone feature of the Pixel series to more accurately capture skin tones. Google says facial data is stored on the device and doesn’t leave your phone.
What else can we expect?
There are also other Google Camera 8.7 features coming to older Pixels. A double tap function to switch from 1x to 2x zoom. This feature has always been available on the Pixel 4 series, but it has been removed from the Pixel 4a and on the Pixel 5 and Pixel 6 phones. Finally, you can also long-press the icon showing your last photo to choose whether photos should be saved to your default gallery folder or a locked private folder.
Additionally, a feature of Google Camera 8.7 for Pixel 7 phones that is not available on older devices is the ability to select a recording duration for night photos (from off to six seconds). Still, we’re glad to see Google re-enable Frequent Faces after older Pixel phones went months without the feature.