Ryan Haines / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Google could soon bring exclusive Pixel 9 editing features to older Pixel phones.
- We’ve spotted evidence suggesting that Reimagine and Auto Frame, the two new Magic Editor features, could soon be available on Pixel 6, Pixel 7, and Pixel 8 series phones.
Every new Google flagship phone almost always brings some exclusive features that trickle down to older Pixels after some time. The Pixel 9 series is no different. It brings several cool camera and editing features, such as Add Me, Video Boost with Night Sight, and more. Among these are two new Magic Editor features called Auto Frame and Reimagine. The former automatically frames your chosen subject, even if that requires expanding the image using AI, while the second feature allows you to change backgrounds. Now, Google seems to be getting ready to bring these two new editing features to older Pixel phones.
An APK teardown helps predict features that may arrive on a service in the future based on work-in-progress code. However, it is possible that such predicted features may not make it to a public release.
Android Authority contributor Assemble Debug has found evidence in the Google Photos app suggesting that Reimagine and Auto Frame are headed to older Pixels, including the Pixel 6, Pixel 7, and Pixel 8 series.
The tipster explains that there are three variants of the Google Photos app with different configurations.
- For all devices Android devices (non-Pixels)
- For Pixels launched between 2021 and 2023 (Pixel 6 and above)
- For Pixels launched in 2024 (Pixel 9)
The Google Photos app for the 2024 Pixels, i.e., the Pixel 9 series, naturally includes all the code strings related to the Reimagine and Auto Frame features. Now, these code strings are also appearing in the latest version of the Google Photos app (6.99) for Pixels launched between 2021 and 2023, indicating that Google might be working to bring Reimagine and Auto Frame to its older flagships.
Meanwhile, the regular version of the Google Photos app for non-Pixel devices does not feature these strings, suggesting that the features are not ready to roll out to all Android devices just yet and will remain exclusive to Pixel phones for the time being.
It’s unclear when the older Pixels will get the new Magic Editor features. We imagine Google will roll them out in a future Feature Drop.