Download: Google Camera with Night Sight for Google Pixel 3, Pixel 2, and Pixel

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Earlier this month, Google unveiled the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL. Thanks to a ton of leaks, there wasn’t much left for Google to surprise us with. However, there was one new Google Camera feature that didn’t get leaked before launch: Night Sight. Night Sight uses a long exposure time and some Google software magic to greatly enhance low light photography. The feature didn’t ship with the Google Pixel 3 or Pixel 3 XL but is said to come sometime next month in an update. An earlier port of the Google Camera 6.1 APK that shipped with the Pixel 3 claimed to have enabled Night Sight, but it appears that the feature was only partially working. Now, we have what seems to be a more functional version of Night Sight in a barely-modded Google Camera app that works on the Google Pixel 3, Google Pixel 3 XL, Google Pixel 2, Google Pixel 2 XL, Google Pixel, and Google Pixel XL.

After the release of the Google Pixel 3, there have been 3 new versions of the Google Camera app. Version 6.0 shipped on retail units of the Pixel 3 but is ultimately forgettable since it was succeeded by version 6.1.009.215420794 which shipped on reviewers’ units and is what the current mods that bring the partially working Night Sight and Google Lens suggestions are based on. Version 6.1.009.215420794 is also the first version in a few years to hint that the time-lapse feature may actually be coming. Now, version 6.1.013.216795316 began to roll out today on the Google Play Store for the first and second generation Google Pixel smartphones and it brings the new UI. But it’s also the first version that brings a functional Night Sight feature, as first confirmed by XDA Senior Member cstark27.

cstark27 is a Google Camera modder best known for his work on the port for the OnePlus 6 and LG devices. He discovered that it was incredibly simple to enable the Night Sight feature in the latest camera version. All he did was change 0x0 for the Camera.enable_cuttlef value to 0x1 (cuttlefish is the code-name for the Night Sight module in the app). He sent us the modded APK for us to test, and we tested it on the Pixel 3 XL, Pixel 3, Pixel 2 XL, and Pixel. We’re assuming it also works on the Pixel 2 and Pixel XL, though.

Hands-on with Night Sight in the Google Camera app

Below are some screenshots showing off how the feature works. When you open the camera app and it detects you’re in a low-light situation, it’ll prompt you to “try Night mode.” You can access the new mode by going to “more” and then selecting “Night.” Here, the camera shutter has an icon of a moon that, when pressed, asks you to hold still while it is “collecting light.” In the Google Photos app, you can see which of your shots were captured with Night Sight by the moon icon in the top right.

Below are some quick sample shots the XDA team captured. Most of us are in the U.S. where it isn’t nighttime, so we could only show off the feature while indoors. One of our UK-based writers captured a before and after comparison on his first-generation Pixel, though. As you can see, enabling the mode makes a big difference in how much detail you can see in poor lighting conditions. We quickly put together these comparison shots but will be doing more thorough testing once it’s nighttime in America. Stay tuned for better sample shots, or download the modded app below to try for yourself!

Update: We have taken many more photos showing off how amazing Night Sight can be. Check them out here!

Download Google Camera with Night Sight for Pixel 3/Pixel 2/Pixel

Note: Since the feature will officially be released next month, it’s possible that Google may still make tweaks to the algorithm internally. Hence, the Night Sight results you’ll get with this early Google Camera mod may not be as good as what you’ll get with the official update next month.

If you’re itching to try out this modded app by cstark27, you can find the download link below. It’s signed with his key rather than Google’s and has a different package name, so it won’t install on top of the original camera app. It’s a separate app that you’ll have to open from the app drawer. You can download it below from AndroidFileHost.

Google Camera 6.1 Mod with Night Sight for Pixel, Pixel 2, Pixel 3