You Can Actually Use the IR Camera on Your Pixel 4

For the Pixel 4's face unlock feature to work in the dark, Google had to add a front-facing IR camera. If you download a specific app, you can actually see a live feed from this camera. It's true night vision for your phone, and it's completely free.

So grab HedgeCam 2 from the Play Store. Open the app to the main screen and tap the camera switch icon twice to jump into the IR camera. You'll notice the colors shift to an inverted look — you can now see in the dark using your Pixel 4.

• Play Store Link: HedgeCam 2: Advanced Camera (free)

This is what I normally see looking down this hallway. Dark.

Now I've enabled the IR camera mode. It helps a lot, but the IR light can only see so far since it was meant for face unlocking. It's good enough to keep you aware of your surroundings, though.

This is what I normally see looking down this hallway. Dark.

Now I've enabled the IR camera mode. It helps a lot, but the IR light can only see so far since it was meant for face unlocking. It's good enough to keep you aware of your surroundings, though.

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You can snap a photo or record a video using the IR camera. Though it's not a very high-resolution camera mode (640 x 480), it'll still make for some interesting shots you couldn't get with a regular RGB cam. You can even get your inner ghost hunter on while you're at it!

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Cover photo and screenshots by Stephen Perkins/Gadget Hacks