Google is reportedly working on a new feature for its Pixel and a select number of Android devices. Basically, the feature would allow Android phone users to transform their device into dashcams, as part of an upcoming Personal Safety update.
The dashcam feature was found hidden in a stash of APKs, picked apart by 9to5Google, as part of its APK Insight feature. According to the Google-centric portal, it managed to unearth a new “Dashcam” feature within an APK it says that Google had launched by mistake.
The “Dashcam” app basically does what a dashcam does; it records video and audio while you drive. Again, the main difference here is that you’d be doing it directly with your phone. Like all dashcams, its purpose is to have some form of video evidence, in the event of an accident.
From the looks of it, the Dashcam feature should be able to launch directly from the “Be Prepared” section of the home page, where you can manually begin your recording or vide your recent video. But the best part of the new function is that, even when it is recording, the Android phone is still fully usable, meaning that you can also use continue using navigation apps, such as Google Maps.
You’re probably wondering about the space a Dashcam video takes up on the phone and the good news is, Google seems to have thought about that too. The APK files indicate that, in order to conserve storage space, recordings are automatically deleted after three days if you don’t choose to save them. In addition, the video themselves are compressed to approximately 30MB per minute, and can run for a maximum time of 24 hours.
When the Dashcam feature is going to be available is still up in the air and as mentioned at the start of this article, Google is currently doing a limited test run with the feature on its Pixel phones and a select number of Android devices, although it doesn’t exactly provide an extensive list of other phones, save for the Nothing (1). So, at the very least, we know it is not a feature that is exclusive to the Pixel.
(Source: 9to5Google)
