Instead of spending that extra cash on a dedicated dashcam, your Google Pixel smartphone can do the job. Very soon, Google Pixel phones and selected Android smartphone will receive a new update. This update will help users use their smartphone as a dashcam. The new feature will come as part of Google’s upcoming safety update for some Android users.
Google’s upcoming personal safety app will come with a couple features. Such features include “Emergency Sharing,” “Safety Check,” and “Car Crash Detection.” This evening, Google mistakenly launched an internal version of the personal safety app on the Play Store. The app contains a feature called dashcam. The name of the feature is self explanatory. It helps record videos and audio (optional) with their phones while driving. The app provides some important information when an accident or certain unexpected incidents occur.
How to Enable to Dashcam on Google Pixel Phones 
Users will be able to enable the dashcam feature via a shortcut once it becomes available. This will be accessible under the “Be Prepared” section of the homepage. Under this section, the user can be able begin a manual recording. At the same time, they can also view recorded videos. One good thing about the dashcam feature is this. The user can be able to use the smartphone even when recording is ongoing. Also, the user can choose to turn off the display. This will help reserve battery and the recoding will still continue.
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To make the usage of this feature even easier, the user is not supposed to start the recording every time. Google has made it possible for the recording to start as soon as the device connects to a particular Bluetooth device. SO, the user can decide to use their car’s Bluetooth or infotainment system for this feature. As soon as the user disconnects the device from that Bluetooth device, the recording ends automatically.
Google also considered storage space while building the app. All recorded videos automatically delete after 3 days. The user may have to save a particular video manually if they want to keep it. The app also compresses videos to an average of 30MB per minute. It also has a maximum recording length of 24 hours.
With all these features, it looks like Google planned this app to come fully loaded. Also, using a smartphone as a dashcam definitely has some advantages over a dedicated dashcam. This is because the smartphone’s camera will produce better video quality than most dashcams.
Disadvantages of Using Smartphones Like Google Pixel as Dashcam 
Truly, this feature may seem like the ideal choice. However, there are some few factors that may hinder its success. For example, most dashcams come with wide angle lenses. On the other hand, the app uses the phone’s main lens. Also, continuously recording of videos can make your smartphone get hotter. This will most likely happen in certain situations. Especially where the user mounts their smartphone towards the windscreen. In a position like this, there is a high possibility of the phone facing the direct sunlight.
