With Connected Cameras, you can seamlessly capture or stream from your Pixel with supported camera applications and tap into different external cameras (like GoPro) or another Pixel. You can also apply filters and effects available on those apps.
Important:
- This feature is only available on Pixel phones and doesn’t include Pixel Tablet.
- For Pixel 6 and later (except Pixel 10 and Pixel A-series devices), you can connect to other Pixel phones (except Pixel 10 and Pixel A-series devices), GoPro cameras, and USB cameras.
- For Pixel 10 and Pixel A-series devices from Pixel 6a and later, you can only connect to GoPro cameras and USB cameras.
- Supported apps are Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok.
Step 1: Turn Connected Cameras on or off
- Open your phone's Settings app.
- Tap Connected devices
Connection preferences
- Turn Use Connected Cameras on or off.
- When “Connected Cameras” is on and you’re using a compatible application, you can find the Camera Picker.
- To turn off “Connected Cameras” while using one of the supported apps, you can dismiss the Camera Picker by touching and holding, then dragging it to the X at the bottom of the screen.
Connection preferences Tip: When the Camera Picker is enabled but not in use, it’s minimized. To expand it, you can tap the Connected Camera .
Step 2: Connect cameras
Once “Connected Cameras” is turned on, a Camera Picker will appear when using supported apps. The Camera Picker allows you to add, remove, or disconnect an external camera as well as switch between your device and an external camera.
Important:
- You can only connect to devices that are signed in with your Google Account.
- You can only connect to one external camera at a time, to connect another external camera, you’ll need to disconnect the first external camera.
- Audio is sourced from the camera that is currently in use.
- Using a Bluetooth audio source may degrade the streaming quality.
- Open a supported app. Learn which apps are supported with external cameras.
- If “Connected Cameras” is on, you’ll find the Camera Picker pop up on your screen.
- At the bottom of the Camera Picker
- Choose a device to use as your external camera.
- On the device that is used as the external camera, follow the on-screen instructions to allow permissions.
- The paired Pixel will appear in the Camera Picker when it is ready for use.
Important: When you connect a Pixel device to a GoPro camera, it may take some time for your phone to connect the external camera. To connect to an external camera:
- Make sure your external camera is ready to pair.
- Open your phone’s Settings app.
- Tap Bluetooth
. Learn to connect through Bluetooth on your Pixel phone.
- Open a supported app. Learn which apps are supported with external cameras.
- If “Connected Cameras” is on, you’ll find the Camera Picker pop up on your screen and the camera will be ready to connect.
Important: Only USB cameras with USB Video Class (UVC) specification are supported.
To connect to a compatible USB camera:
- Open a supported app. Learn which apps are supported with external cameras.
- If "Connected Cameras" is on, the camera list will pop up on your screen.
- Plug in a compatible USB camera.
- From the camera list, select your USB camera.
- Allow access to USB cameras.
Switch cameras
To show different camera angles when streaming, use the Camera Picker to switch between device cameras. This tells you which camera is currently in use and starts a countdown timer once the external camera is connected.
- In your Camera Picker, tap the device you want to use.
- While your devices are connecting, the device’s icon will be animated.
- Once the device icon changes to a countdown timer, your camera is ready to use.
- When the countdown ends, the view switches to the new camera.
- To switch back to your device camera, tap My Pixel
.