Back in 2012, Google released what we called “Android’s greatest feature yet.” We were talking about Photo Spheres, which saw users take dozens of photos at all angles, slowly turning in place, to capture a full 360-degree image you could scroll around on your phone’s screen or view in a VR headset. Sadly, much likeGoogle’s VR endeavors on the whole, Photo Spheres are nowdead as of the Pixel 8, and I’m thoroughly disappointed.
Why is it gone?
We talk about Google killing products a lot, and you can’t blame us, considering how many products face the axe each year: during Google’s 25th anniversary I cataloged all theproducts Google’s killed that I miss the most— and I had no shortage of options to choose from. Ironically, if I’d been writing that piece now, Photo Spheres would’ve made the cut. Sadly, though, this product termination does make a lot of sense.
It really looked very silly.
When was the last time you saw a Photo Sphere on social media? I’ll give you a hint — it would’ve been on Google+, the only social media platform to support them, and that’s been gone for five years. The lack of adoption, combined with how silly you look making them, meant that the feature was probably taking up space Google could put to better use.
Underrated and under-advertised
The thing is, things that make us look silly can become routine. Just think about the silly things people do with selfie sticks or when trying to get the perfect shot. If enough people tried Photo Spheres, Google might have been incentivized to improve the feature, and perhaps other social networks would have supported them better.
The biggest problem Photo Spheres faced, I think, was how hidden they were, and the launch of the Pixel series exacerbated this. In the Nexus days, anyone could download the Google Camera on any Android phone, and Photo Spheres could be easily accessed. Pixels made that app exclusive (it’s even calledPixel Cameranow), so if you wanted to make Photo Spheres on any other Android device (or even an iPhone), you’d have to use the Google Street View app.
On the Pixels themselves, it wasn’t much better. If you wanted to make Photo Sphere, you’d need to scroll over to the camera app’s Modes menu — basically a junk drawer of functionality — to access the mode. A previous design of the app hid away even more than this. If something isn’t easy to find, people naturally won’t use it.
The ironic thing here is that Google just fixed this problem: Android 14 and the Pixel 8 brought a significant redesign to the camera app, and while the Photo Sphere mode is gone on the 8 and 8 Pro, older Pixels that get updated now have Photo Sphere displayed much more prominently. If Google had put the mode here in the first place, who knows how well Photo Spheres may have caught on.
you’re able to’t use the Google Street View app to get around this anymore, either.Google killed that app earlier this year, and even if you download the APK from a third-party source, nothing works. In a bit of a cruel tease, you can actually enter the Photo Sphere UI and start making one, but it won’t actually save to your device.
Photo Spheres could have caught on if they’d been given a chance. Standing atop Mount Snowdon and capturing an entire 360-degree Photo Sphere is something I’ll never forget — I don’t care that I looked silly doing it. If more people knew about them and tried the feature out, maybe we’d all be taking them now. But with the Pixel 8 and the death of the Street View app, it seems like we’ll never find out.
Google Pixel 8
The Google Pixel 8 is Google’s best phone yet, and it’s the most distinct regular model when compared to the Pro version. It comes with a wonderful form factor that fits well in the hands and has the usual software prowess that you expect from a Pixel.
Google Pixel 8 Pro
The Google Pixel 8 Pro is still a good deal in 2025, with plenty of software support and a premium flagship experience. The Tensor G3 is powerful enough for most tasks, and you’ll enjoy plenty of Pixel extras on Android 15. If you’re in the market for a Pixel but don’t want to pay flagship prices, the Pixel 8 Pro is worth a look.
