Google Camera 7.0 app leaks revealing Night Sight setting to capture the stars

We've recently shown you some hands-on videos and images of the unannounced Google Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL. Apparently, these leaks can be traced to a retailer in Vietnam; through the same process, a web developer and designer on Twitter named Hani Mohamed Bioud (@HANI_4k) shared with XDA the APK for the Google Camera 7.0 app that will apparently be pre-loaded on the Pixel 4 line. An APK, or Android Application Package, is the file format used to distribute and install apps on Android phones. The APK for the next version of the Google Camera app was taken from one of the pre-released Pixel 4 models that have been floating around.

Some of the changes to the app are cosmetic, while there are some new options for the upcoming Pixel models. For example, Night Sight will have a new "Infinity" focus option most likely related to the astrophotography feature appearing in a leaked promo video for the Pixel 4 that has already been pulled. Night Sight allows users to snap viewable photos in low-light conditions, and astrophotography refers to the practice of taking photographs of the stars in the sky (as opposed to the stars that appear on television and movie screens). Night Sight continues to offer focus settings for Near (about 4 feet away) and Far (about 12 feet).

A change to the zoom slider, which appeared in a photo that we showed you last week, shows you the precise zoom level as you move the slider. Both the zoom and exposure sliders are more smoother to operate although the exposure slider no longer shows the level. The top bar of the camera app, which had icons for the timer, Motion settings, and the flash options, is no more. It has been replaced with a box that surfaces in the middle of the viewfinder once you tap on the dropdown arrow, or swipe down on the viewfinder. To give users more room to see the viewfinder, the bottom part of the camera app's UI now floats on top of the viewfinder when taking 16:9 images.

With Google Camera 7.0, users will be able to quickly record a video by long-pressing the shutter button; the recording continues until the button is "released." To help those using the Time Lapse feature decide what speed setting to use, new suggestions have been added to the settings. For example, .5x is said to be "good for lively groups," 10x as "good for walking," 30x as "good for busy spots," and 120x as "good for sunsets." Photography tips are now given out based on the scene being shot in the "Camera coaching" feature. This includes hints to use Night Sight in dark environments and "try Portrait mode" when a face is detected in the viewfinder.

The Pixel 4 XL will ship with 12.2MP Sony IMX363 sensor with an aperture of f/1.7 and a 16MP Sony IMX481 sensor with a telephoto lens. There is a third camera that could be a depth sensor or a spectral sensor. The latter can capture certain things that the human eye cannot see such as X-rays, infrared rays and ultraviolet rays. The Pixel 4 might not include the spectral sensor. If this is true, the new Pixels will be sans an Ultra-wide camera. The front-facing selfie snapper on both models will weigh in at 8MP and could be a wide-angle camera.

The Pixel 4 line should be introduced during the next Made by Google event expected to take place on October 15th. As for the older Pixels, the new version of the Google Camera app could roll out next month.