Search titan Google has reportedly withdrawn its recently introduced portrait-related setting for the Pixel phones’ Phone app, which is meant to improve user control over portrait effects during phone calls.
Originally designed exclusively for the Google Phone app on Pixel devices, this feature was part of Google’s efforts to improve the user experience through software updates rather than hardware changes.
The feature was supposed to gradually roll out via a server-side update to Pixel phones equipped with advanced computational photography and AI-powered camera capabilities. By extending portrait effects from photography and video to calling features, Google aimed to improve visual clarity during communication.
With the new portrait setting, users could have managed portrait behavior more effectively during calls, enabling or disabling portrait processing instead of relying solely on automatic settings.
This functionality was especially beneficial for those who frequently switched between voice and video calls, ensuring consistency and reducing unexpected visual effects.
Either way, the rollback means that Pixel users will no longer have access to this feature, which was aligned with Google’s goal of improving the Phone app through AI-powered tools like Call Screen and improved spam detection.
As video calling has become more common than ever, the ability to control camera behavior during calls is essential, but unfortunately it seems Google has reconsidered its approach.
The decision to withdraw the feature reflects ongoing adjustments to Google’s strategy as the company evaluates user feedback and the overall impact of such features in the competitive landscape of communications technology.
