And Pixel owners who want to cut multiple-angle streams can finally bake that feature into their live broadcasts.
Google is also adding a new audio source toggle for Connected Cameras, the Pixel feature from which you can connect another Pixel or GoPro as a secondary camera during livestreams. So married does it feel to what I’m convinced is the most frustrating limitation of the system that for once in my life, I find myself unable to critique how short-sighted Sony’s been here; sound can now be locked to your main phone or shifted over when you switch angles. It sounds like a small tweak, but it closes so many gaps.
What changed in Pixel Connected Cameras audio controls
Previously, if your chat room allowed multiple connected cameras, audio would forcibly follow the most recently active video feed. That made every edit between angles also a shift of microphones, often resulting in audible jumps in volume, room tone, and echo. The newest Google Camera Services update (version 3.1.807663885.00) introduces a new three-dot menu in the Connected Cameras interface, complete with a “Use connected camera audio” toggle. Switch it off to keep audio rooted on your main Pixel. Turn it on to have audio automatically transition to the connected camera whenever you cut to that view.
It’s an easy feature that streamers will appreciate from the get-go. Maintaining a single audio source is important for consistent levels, noise signature, and sync, particularly when transitioning between an extreme wide-angle and a close-up or between an action camera and a handheld phone.
Why consistent audio control matters to creators
It is audio that kills most livestreams. A cut which shifts the mic distance by a metre can cause the apparent loudness to shift by several decibels, and room acoustics can change in other dramatic ways between positions. By disconnecting audio from the video feed, Pixel streamers can preserve the best-situated microphone — usually the one that is with your host on set, up front — while cutting to a remote camera merely for variety.
It won’t mean any more mid-sentence changes in timbre that distract listeners from interviews and podcasts. An IRL streamer, after all, can attach a GoPro to his or her chest rig and still record clean voice with the phone’s mic or a USB-C lav that is plugged into the phone. Industry reports from Streamlabs and Stream Hatchet have pointed to continued growth in mobile-first live content, and minor quality-of-life features like these can often exert an outsized impact on watch-time and retention.
How to use the new audio source toggle in Pixel
When establishing a stream in the Pixel Camera app with Connected Cameras, tap the three-dot menu. You will see the “Use connected camera audio” option. Turn it off, and audio remains fixed to your main Pixel no matter what angle you choose. Turn it on if you’d like the mic connected to the camera to supersede all others when its feed is up.
Practical tip: do a quick level check before you go on air. If you want audio to stay on the main phone, silence the onboard mic of the connected camera if possible or move it some distance away from potential ambient noise. This lessens the possibility of phase issues or latency-created echo if a system cross-fades sources for a short period.
Where Connected Cameras are now and where it leads next
But for now, Connected Cameras are sticking to livestreams. They operate with many popular platforms, including YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok, but it still doesn’t extend to plain old video recording in the default camera driver. Content creators who desire multicam for offline shoots will have to continue grappling with third-party tools, at least in the immediate future.
Compatibility remains robust with recent Pixel models, and Google has already widened availability to older Pixels in an earlier rollout. Getting GoPro support is especially handy for action videos, bike rides, and anything else that needs a tough remote camera. What is absent here is more general API access so pro apps can take advantage of Connected Cameras for local recording or cool overlays — that’s the big next frontier many a mobile filmmaker waits on.
How Pixel’s approach compares with other multicam tools
Elsewhere, creators would typically depend on third‑party solutions such as NDI (Network Device Interface) tools or OBS Camera apps to bring in remote angles, but those set-ups can be tricky to manage on mobile networks. Apple’s Continuity Camera is aimed at Mac workflows, and Samsung’s Director’s View manages several lenses on one device, not multiple devices. Google’s method — its own external camera plus now more finely grained control over audio — was required to replace what used to take a hodgepodge of apps and adapters.
The audio switch is a little toggle, but it takes away a much larger friction from our lives. For anyone, but especially for someone building a mobile studio around a Pixel, it’s the kind of overdue polish that turns Connected Cameras from a neat demo into something you can take into the field.
