You can take a photo on the camera on your phone in different ways. Use this article to get started taking photos and to find resources about advanced photo options.
Important:
- Some of these steps work only on Android 10 and up. Learn how to check your Android version.
- Some of these steps require you to touch the screen.
Take advanced photos
Choose how to take a photo
With your hand- Open your Google Camera app
. Learn how.
- Point your camera and wait for it to focus and take in light.
- Tap Capture
.
Zoom
Pinch open or closed on your screen, double-tap the screen, or use the slider at the bottom.
Tip: When you take a picture from far away, to capture the most details, zoom into your subject first.
Auto-focus
- To focus on the subject of your photo, point your camera at the subject, then tap on the subject. A white circle appears and moves on the screen with the subject.
- To lock the focus and exposure on a subject that moves, tap Lock
.
Tip: If you have accessibility features turned on, to focus on and expose the subject of your photo, double-tap your screen.
Swap between your back and front cameras
Tap Switch or twist your phone twice. Learn about gestures on your phone.
Take a straight photo
While using your camera, your phone will be straight when the 2 lines meet, and the angle is 0.
- Open your camera and hold your phone steady. A yellow line and a white line appear in the middle of the screen.
- To make the lines meet, rotate your phone left to right and tilt it forward and backward.
- If you point your phone up or down at your subject, the Up/Down indicator appears. To align the Up/Down indicator and take a straight photo, rotate your phone left to right and tilt it forward and back.
Tip: You can turn off horizon leveling and the Up/Down indicator. From your Camera app, tap the Down arrow Then, tap Settings
, and turn off Framing hints.
Take a photo from far away (Pixel 5 & later)
Capture photos of subjects from a distance. With the next generation of zoom lenses, you can zoom up to:
- 8x with your Pixel 7a and Pixel 7 phone
- 30x with your Pixel 7 Pro phone
Tip: Zoom stabilization turns on automatically on Pixel 7 Pro phones zoomed to 15x.
Open your Google Camera app . Then, to zoom:
- Use the zoom buttons: tap the pre-set zoom buttons above the shutter.
- Use the zoom slider: slide your finger across the zoom buttons.
- Use your fingers:
- Pinch and open to zoom in or closed to zoom out.
- Tap twice on your subject to automatically zoom in to your subject. (Pixel 5 & later)
Use Ultrawide Zoom (Pixel 4a (5G) & later)
Ultrawide can capture more of the people and scenes around you.
- Open your Camera app
. Learn how.
- In default camera, video, or Night Sight modes, tap .6x. Or, on your screen, pinch open and close.
- Say "OK Google, take a picture," or "OK Google, take a selfie."
Optional: Before you take the photo, you can tell the camera to wait between 3—30 seconds. For example, "OK Google, take a picture in 12 seconds." - Your Camera app will open and take a photo.
- Set up your watch with your phone. Learn how to set up your watch.
- Open your Google Camera app
. Learn how.
- On your watch, swipe up from the bottom of your screen until you see the Remote card.
- To take a photo, tap the shutter button on your watch.
- Your watch will vibrate and flash.
- You’ll get a thumbnail of the photo on your watch.
Tip: You can get more details or take action on your photos. Find out how to use Google Lens.