When Google took the wraps off its Pixel 8 Pro, most of the talk was predictably about its cameras, its cameras, and a number of smart features that Google brought to its new flagship.
One of these features was something that has been rarely if ever, seen on a smartphone – the ability to measure temperature. The Pixel 8 Pro actually comes with a temperature sensor on its back, enabling you to take the temperature of just about everything in your vicinity. Google does not recommend using it to take your own body temperature. Still, for everything else ranging from coffee to food to even room temperature, this is a very handy tool to have, and it works through Google’s own temperature app. Using it is extremely simple, too – you do not even have to download any third-party app.
Pixel 8 Pro: The location of the temperature sensor
First off, Before you start measuring the temperature of things around you, you need to know the location of the temperature sensor because you will need to point it at the object whose temperature you need to find out.
The temperature sensor is located on the back of the Pixel 8 Pro – and it is the only Pixel to have it; the Pixel 8 does not. It is placed on the iconic camera bar, which houses the three cameras on the device. Right next to the row of cameras, on the extreme right of the bar, is the flash, and just below it is the temperature sensor.
Pixel 8 Pro: Measuring the temperature
Measuring the temperature using the Google Pixel 8 Pro is literally easy peasy apple squeezy. You just need to follow these steps:
- On the Pixel 8 Pro, find the Temperature app. This is a preinstalled app and can be generally found among the apps of the Pixel 8 Pro.
- After opening the app, you will see an option called ‘Object temperature.’ This is the only option on the screen at the time of writing, although it seems that more are planned in the coming days. Choose this option.
- You will now see a screen with a large ‘Tap to measure’ blue button in the middle, with instructions on how to point the sensor and from what distance (5 centimeters or 2 inches). You will also see a thermometer-like icon of the temperature sensor on the top left of the screen, emitting waves to give a pulsing effect. This is supposed to indicate that the temperature sensor is active. No, do not hit the ‘Tap to measure’ button. Not yet.
- Below the ‘Tap to measure’ button and the instructions to use is a button that is labeled ‘default.’ This is the button to select the material or the object whose temperature you wish to measure. Tap this button.
- You will now see the ‘Select a material’ screen. The options are Default (used for general room conditions), Food and organic, Beverages and water, Cast iron, Ceramic and glass, Matte metal, Shiny metal, Plastic and rubber, Fabric, Wood, and Walls and windows. Choose the category that fits the object whose temperature has to be measured. And then tap on ‘Done.’
- Move the temperature sensor within a couple of inches of the object. Now, you can go ahead and hit the ‘Tap to measure’ button.
- You will get the temperature within seconds. It’s as simple as that. The temperature icon will stop pulsing, showing the sensor is inactive.
- You can get temperature readings in Fahrenheit and Celsius. You can specify the unit of measurement by tapping on the ‘C’ or ‘F’ letter in the app’s top right corner. You can specify the unit before measuring the temperature or even after you have taken it!
Pixel 8 Pro temperature sensor: A few points to keep in mind
- You do not need an Internet connection to measure the temperature. We found we were able to check the temperature of objects even in airplane mode. This makes the device super useful even in areas that have no network (adventure travelers will appreciate this).
- Can you use the temperature sensor to take your own temperature? Well, you can try by pointing it at a person’s forehead, but the readings we got were very much on the lower side (close to 30 degrees Celsius or 86 degrees Fahrenheit). The temperature app is also not approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), so it is best not used for skin temperature.
- As the temperature inevitably keeps changing with every reading, we would advise taking three quick readings and working out an average for the best results.
- The sensor takes single recordings of the temperature. There is no way of keeping the sensor running and seeing the temperature change over time. You will have to take multiple temperature readings to get a trend.
- If you are measuring room temperature, you will find the sensor doing a reasonable job, although we would recommend keeping the phone in the middle of the room and not too close to a wall or the floor. Outdoors, the temperature fluctuates depending on your location and the level of sunshine, wind, shade, etc. We think it is good enough to check if you need to turn up the air conditioner or heater, but not beyond that.
- In the case of measuring food, try to keep the sensor close to the food itself rather than the vessel. Also, the sensor is not the greatest at measuring anything that has steam coming off it – we would suggest trying it when the steam lessens.
- If you are measuring the temperature of something within a container, keep the sensor close to the object rather than the container. So, if you want to find the temperature of coffee, keep the sensor close to the coffee rather than the cup or mug containing it. Similarly, if you want to find the temperature of ice cream, keep the sensor close to the ice cream rather than the paper or plastic cup that contains it.
- If you think the reading seems a little “off,” try getting closer to the object. It generally gives a more accurate reading. Place your sensor on the object (say, the floor or a wooden surface).
- Yes, you can use it to find out if your phone or any other gadget is overheating. We used it rather effectively to check the temperature of smartphones and notebooks after intense gaming sessions. The readings reflected the change in temperature.
- At the end of the day, the Pixel 8 Pro is a smartphone. Do not bring it close to temperatures or substances that may damage it – using it to measure the temperature of a flame, for instance, is injurious to phone health!
Pixel 8 Pro temperature sensor: Accurate and dependable?
In broad terms, the temperature sensor on the Pixel 8 Pro seems a great tool for those times when we want a very quick look at the temperature of something – maybe a cup of coffee, a seemingly overheating phone, the temperature of your workspace, or even a car engine.
We think it tends to understate temperatures by a couple of degrees Celsius, so would not recommend depending on it when highly accurate readings are needed (say for chemistry experiments), but it is a great tool for those times when you need to get a reasonably good approximation of the temperature of an object.
It is certainly a very handy feature to have on a smartphone. We do not know about the costs involved, but it is definitely a feature we would like to see on more smartphones.
