The temperature sensor that debuted on the Pixel 8 Pro and quietly carried forward for two generations is reportedly getting cut.
When Google introduced an infrared temperature sensor on the Pixel 8 Pro back in 2023, it felt like a genuinely interesting differentiator. Scan a surface, check your forehead with a phone that doubles as a thermometer. It continued through the Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 10 Pro without much fanfare. Now, multiple credible leaks suggest it won’t make the cut on the Pixel 11 Pro. And honestly? The reasons behind it are more interesting than the removal itself.
Let’s be real, the temperature sensor was always a feature that sounded more impressive in a spec sheet than it performed in practice. Holding your phone up to your forehead at a specific distance, at a specific angle, getting readings that varied based on ambient conditions wasn’t exactly the seamless health tool Google may have envisioned. Traditional infrared thermometers cost around $10 and do the job better.
That said, it was genuinely useful for surface scanning, checking if a pan was hot enough, testing whether electronics were overheating, or scanning a baby’s room temperature. A small but specific group of users did lean on it. They’re going to feel this removal more than most.
But for the overwhelming majority of Pixel Pro owners? Pixel Glow if it works well is going to be more visible, more daily-useful, and frankly more fun than a sensor they never touched. Nothing Phone built an entire identity around notification lights. Google doing something similar on a flagship Android phone is a smart play, not a downgrade.
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