What does Launch Mode do in the Pixel Camera app?

Launch Mode is a new Pixel 11 setting that lets you choose whether the camera app opens to Photo, Video, or Magic Capture instead of always defaulting to photo mode. It's found in the camera's settings overflow menu next to the slider controls.

What are the new Quick Access dials on the Pixel 11?

Quick Access has been redesigned from large on-screen sliders into two compact dials, one on each side of the viewfinder. Tapping the screen reveals them, and sliding up or down adjusts settings like exposure, zoom, or Looks presets, with a numeric value shown as you go.

Is Pixel Camera 11.0 available on other Pixel phones?

Not yet. Version 11.0, including Launch Mode and the redesigned Quick Access dials, is exclusive to the Pixel 11 series at launch. Every other Pixel model remains on Pixel Camera version 10.4.

Are Launch Mode and the new Quick Access dials on by default?

No. Both were disabled by default on test devices. You need to open the camera app's settings overflow menu and turn them on yourself, though results can vary between individual phones.

How do I turn on Launch Mode and the new Quick Access layout?

Open the Pixel Camera app, tap the settings overflow button on the left side of the viewfinder, then look for Launch Mode to set your default capture mode and the Quick Access layout option to enable the dials and choose which adjustments appear.

Pixel Camera 11.0 Adds Launch Mode, New Quick Access Dials

Launch Mode skips the photo default

Every Pixel Camera opens to photo mode by default, even if you almost always shoot video or use Magic Capture, Google's motion-and-stills blend introduced with the Pixel 11 series. The new Launch Mode setting lets you override that and set the app to open directly into either mode instead, cutting out an extra swipe every time you grab your phone to film something.

The option sits next to the slider controls inside the camera app, reached through the settings overflow button on the left side of the viewfinder.

Quick Access sliders become dials

Quick Access itself is not new — Google introduced the feature back in 2024 as a way to adjust settings like exposure or zoom without leaving the shutter screen. On the Pixel 11, the controls have been reshaped from large bars into two compact dials, one on each side of the display. They stay hidden until you tap the screen, then you slide up or down to change the value, with a numeric readout and an undo button appearing as you adjust.

What actually shows up on those dials is configurable through the camera's overflow settings. On the Pixel 11, that list includes Looks, Google's preset color and tone profiles, alongside the exposure and zoom controls Quick Access has always offered.

Off by default, easy to miss

Neither feature is turned on out of the box. The redesigned Quick Access dials were disabled by default on review units, and Launch Mode requires digging into the same overflow menu to set up. If your Pixel 11 camera still opens straight to photo mode with the old-style sliders, that is expected behavior until you go looking for the settings yourself.

Open the Pixel Camera app and tap the settings overflow button on the left edge of the viewfinder.
Look for Launch mode to choose whether the app opens to Photo, Video, or Magic Capture.
In the same menu, find the Quick Access layout option to turn on the dials and pick which adjustments — including Looks — appear on each side.

Why this is Pixel 11 only, for now

Camera app updates on Pixel phones typically arrive through the Play Store rather than a full OS update, and Google has a track record of testing new camera features on its newest hardware before extending them to older models. Magic Capture and the Looks presets that Quick Access can now surface were both introduced alongside the Pixel 11 launch, so it tracks that the redesigned controls built around them are Pixel 11-exclusive at the start. Google has not said when, or whether, version 11.0 will reach the Pixel 10 series or earlier phones still running 10.4.

What to do if you don't see it yet

Update the Pixel Camera app from the Play Store first — version 11.0 is a server-side and app-store rollout, so a stale install is the most common reason the new overflow options are missing. If you already have the latest version and still don't see Launch Mode or the new dials, you likely have a phone other than the Pixel 11, which remains on version 10.4 until Google widens the release.