Summary
- Google is revamping the Pixel Thermometer app to improve user experience with a new UI design.
- A camera preview is now shown on the object temperature measurement screen.
- The new UI design might be exclusive to the Pixel 9 Pro series before being available to other Pixel phones.
For reasons best known to Google, the company stuck a temperature sensor on the back of the Pixel 8 Pro. At launch in October 2023, the sensor was of limited use, as it could only measure the temperatures of objects, not humans. Following FDA clearance, you could use the phone to take a person’s body temperature. Despite its limited benefits, the sensor is a part of the Pixel 9 Pro series, though it has not received any hardware upgrades. Google is revamping its Pixel Thermometer app to provide a better experience, though.
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The pre-installed Thermometer app on the Pixel 8 Pro requires you to tap the “Object temperature” option followed by the material type whose temperature you want to measure. The app’s barebone UI never felt as polished as other Google apps. Telegram channel Google_nws reports Google is fixing this with the latest release of the Pixel Thermometer app (v1.0.654975759), which introduces a significantly revamped UI.
In the latest Pixel Thermometer app, tapping Object temperature will show a “Routine measurements” section. It lists some of the most common material types on which you might use the temperature sensor. If the object whose temperature you want to measure is not listed, tap the ‘+’ icon at the bottom to select from more material types, and then use the sensor to measure its temperature.
Google has also revamped the temperature measurement interface. It uses the rear camera to show the object whose temperature you want to measure. Like before, it will also tell you to adjust the phone’s distance from the object (move it closer/backward) for better accuracy. Recording a measurement still requires you to tap the screen.
The Pixel Thermometer’s new UI might be Pixel 9 exclusive
While the original report claims the new UI is a part of the newest Pixel Thermometer app, that does not appear to be the case. Despite sideloading the latest build, I still have the old UI in the app. You can try your luck by grabbing the APK from APKMirror. Google might keep the Pixel Thermometer app’s new UI exclusive to the Pixel 9 Pro series for a limited time before bringing it to its 2023 flagship Pixel phone.
