Google Pixel cameras are shivering after the latest Android 16 QPR3 beta

What you need to know

• Following Google's latest Android 16 beta, Pixel 8 Pro users are reporting a shivering, shaky camera issue at 1x and 2x zooms.
• Users say this issue is primarily affecting their 50MP lens, and has appeared quite consistently as reports spring up on Reddit.
• Google's Android 16 QPR3 Beta 1 rolled out last week, adding an At a Glance toggle and more to the Quick Settings.

Users involved in Google's recent beta test for Android 16 are encountering a focus issue with their phone's camera.

Pixel testers on Reddit quickly posted video evidence of a camera shake issue that's reportedly appeared during Android 16 QPR3 Beta 1 (via PunikaWeb). The original poster (OP), DizzyCaregiver4126, states that after installing the update, "the camera behaves normally at first, but when switching to 50MP mode, the image suddenly becomes very blurry and out of focus." The user notes that this issue did not occur before, but the update has caused it to happen "consistently."

The OP states that they're encountering this issue with their Pixel 8 Pro. Elsewhere, another user snapped a screenshot of their blurry camera, saying their device experiences a "fluttery quiver" when trying to focus at 1x and 2x.

Devices aren't reportedly struggling when zooming in at .5x and 10x ranges.

More users have chimed in on the Reddit thread, adding that this issue is occurring when using their Pixel's 50MP camera. One report says that they can alleviate the issue by swapping to their 12MP lens, but that's not entirely ideal for every situation. Even the original poster says that the issue occurs with the 50MP lens. The problem is also (kind of) solved by tapping your display to manually focus, but it quickly goes blurry.

The publication hopped into the IssueTracker and noted that Google is aware of the issues. While we might not see a quick fix anytime soon due to the holidays, at least the company is aware.

The winter chill is bitter

pixel_phones from r/pixel_phones/comments/1ppxzpr/pixel_8_pro_camera_becomes_blurry_at_50mp_after

Pixel owners, specifically, Pixel 10 Pro users, were grappling with a jittery camera when attempting to record videos in October. This issue was outside of Google's Android 16 test environment, as the Camera API's EIS (electronic image stabilization) was having a difficult time. Users reported that, while attempting to record, their device's camera was incredibly shaky. This happened noticeably at 5x and 2x zooms.

The issue here is that EIS is intended to smooth those movements, so they don't appear in the final product. The problem was much less noticeable at the 0.5x zoom option, as well as with Video Boost active.

Patches from this past fall were aimed at fixing some lingering camera issues, but Pixel 10 Pro folks were still reeling. While camera problems are going around, Google's Android 16 QPR3 Beta 1 launched last week, adding a toggle "off" button for "At a Glance." The Quick Settings menu even received a slider to help control your beam intensity.