A premature update of the Personal Safety application, intended for internal testing, has appeared on Google Play. This is build 2023.04.27.532191641.8-dogfood, which appeared in some users of Pixel and Nothing smartphones.
Personal Safety offers safety—related features - including car accident detection and data transmission in case of emergencies. In a fresh dogfood build, it received a new Dashcam mode, which turns a smartphone into a car DVR.
Screenshots: 9to5Google
The function is designed so that the user's attention is required only at the first setup. You can select a Bluetooth network, when connected to which recording will automatically start - and stop when disconnected. If you select the network of the stereo system or computer in the car, you do not have to manually turn on anything.
While recording, you can use your smartphone as usual — including for navigation. To save power, you can lock the screen, the recording will not stop.
To save space on your smartphone, files will be automatically deleted three days after recording — if you do not save them manually. The videos themselves are compressed at the same time: on average, a minute of video will take up 30 MB of memory. The maximum recording duration is 24 hours. It is also possible to record without sound.
Screenshots: 9to5Google
The authors of 9to5Google who received this build note that visually the function looks completed and ready to run. But she noticed a drawback: in the DVR mode, the smartphone shoots only on the main camera, while the ultra-wide angle would allow you to capture more of the environment. It is also unclear how Google will deal with overheating with constant use of the camera.
The description of the function does not mention its exclusivity for Pixel smartphones, so it may well come out as part of one of the general Android updates.
