Google wants to fix lens flare problem on Pixel smartphones with update

Google has promised to release an update for its Pixel smartphones that should eliminate the effects of lens flare. Users report that photos from the Google phones have excessive lens flare. The solution only works if HDR+ is on.

Google is working on algorithms that can automatically detect lens flare in images and then automatically remove them, a Google employee wrote on the company’s support forum. The update should be released sometime in the coming weeks.

All Google Pixels have the problem, the employee claims. He says that the search giant closely monitors camera lenses and therefore all cameras would suffer from this problem to about the same extent. Lens flare is often visible in corners of the photo in bright light.

The solution will only work if hdr+ is on, something that is enabled by default. In video, the lens flare will of course remain visible. The Pixels were released last week in Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States, among others. It is not yet known when Google will release its phones in the Benelux.

Read our preview of the Google Pixels here. A full review of the smartphones will follow next week.

Lens flare on the Pixel. Photo: Willmono7 on Reddit

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