Google is removing the Photo Sphere feature from Pixel devices, starting with the Google Pixel 8series.
Google announced Photo Sphere with Android Jelly Bean in 2012, and the Nexus 4 was the first device to support this. All Pixel devices have supported this feature since the original Pixel.
The older Pixel devices still have access to this feature with Google Camera 9.0, and we’ll have to see if Google keeps this feature on those devices with the Google Camera 9.1 update.
Photo Sphere is a feature that creates a 360° image by taking multiple shots of your surroundings and stitching them together using software. It has allowed you to capture the moment to the foolest, but with a catch.
The probable reason Google removed Photo Sphere
Google didn’t mention any reason while confirming about the removal to Android Authority. However, people with first-hand experience with this feature will surely have a hunch. The phone stitches the images with software, but there’s only so much to do after taking the images. And the final outcome rarely becomes appreciable, at least with non-pro hands.
The sole purpose of Google Camera seems to be targeted at the user experience. You just have to point at the subject and click the shutter. Your Pixel does the rest. But with Photo Sphere, it becomes difficult for you to keep the phone at the center of the ‘sphere’ as you rotate it in different directions, and the phone barely gets the image from the specific position.
Realistically, the feature didn’t quite align with the goal of Google Camera, that is to enhance the user experience. And at the same time, a lot of Pixel users didn’t even know this feature existed on their phones.