Some previous generation Pixel phone owners are having serious problems with their cameras. Android Police noticed a recent rise in one-star ratings on the Play Store for the camera app used by Pixel, with frustrated owners saying the camera often crashes when opening or no longer works. A topic on the Google Pixel support forum has similar complaints. The Pixel 2 XL seems to be cited more often for presenting the problem, but some posters say that they are having problems with devices as recent as the 3 or 4A.
It is not an entirely new problem. Android Police has been tracking camera issues that have affected Pixel 2 phones mainly in the past year and notes that more devices appear to be affected now. The owners say that the corrections suggested by Google do not solve the problem and that they have the same problem when using third-party camera applications. The Pixel 2 series recently received its latest security update, but there is no logical reason for the camera to stop working as a result.
It is an unfortunate bug, especially considering that many people chose a Pixel phone because of its high quality camera. While the quality of the Pixel image has lagged behind other major competitors recently, affordable devices like the 4A and 4A 5G offer some of the best cameras in their class. But the best camera is one that keeps working when you need it, so we hope to see Google address these user concerns. We have contacted Google requesting confirmation of the problem and whether a solution is underway and will update this article with the information we receive.