

A new Google Pixel phone feature sounds like it could be great news for drivers and terrible news for the best dashcam firms: code spotted in Google's Personal Safety suggests that a new dashcam mode is coming to Pixel phones and to some other best Android phones including the Nothing Phone (1).
The code, spotted by 9to5Google, is a new feature called "dashcam" that records video (and audio too, although that's off by default). It runs in the background so you can still use your preferred mapping app, music app or podcast app, and recording continues when you lock your screen.
This is a great idea, and I hope Apple steals it
I've experimented with in-car phone mounts ever since the first iPhone, and I've come to the conclusion that the best place for a phone is just beside the steering wheel and just proud of the dashboard. That turns out to be not just the best place for sightlines when you're navigating – I can see it when I need to but it doesn't dominate my field of view, particularly at night when even a little light can be too much – but a really great place for dashcam mode too.
Of course, there are some dashcam things this can't do. It doesn't appear to offer front and back recording, and depending on your phone it won't have the same widescreen view of the road as a dedicated dashcam can deliver. If your phone mount is a bit wobbly you're going to be recording in super shake-o-vision. And of course, you're not going to leave your phone when you park the car so you don't get the parking monitoring that some of the top dashcams can offer. So far it's also unclear how widespread the compatibility will be, so we don't know just what phones will be supported.
But there are benefits too. You don't need to wire anything, and your phone can move from car to car in a way wired-in dashcams can't – handy if you don't own a car but rent or borrow from time to time. And if you've got one of the best phones, its camera is probably far superior to anything in a budget or mid-range dashcam too.
I think this is a brilliant idea, and I can't wait to see it in action. I also hope Apple copies it.
Sign up to the T3 newsletter for smarter living straight to your inbox
Get all the latest news, reviews, deals and buying guides on gorgeous tech, home and active products from the T3 experts
Writer, musician and broadcaster Carrie Marshall has been covering technology since 1998 and is particularly interested in how tech can help us live our best lives. Her CV is a who’s who of magazines, newspapers, websites and radio programmes ranging from T3, Techradar and MacFormat to the BBC, Sunday Post and People’s Friend. Carrie has written more than a dozen books, ghost-wrote two more and co-wrote seven more books and a Radio 2 documentary series; her memoir, Carrie Kills A Man, was shortlisted for the British Book Awards. When she’s not scribbling, Carrie is the singer in Glaswegian rock band Unquiet Mind (unquietmindmusic).
-
Nespresso gives its Vertuo pod coffee machine a pistachio upgrade – and it’s David Beckham approved
I’m obsessed with Nespresso’s new pistachio collection
-
Quad's beautiful amp looks like it's been stolen from a 70s sci-fi movie
The Quad 3 blends retro looks and cutting-edge audio tech to beautiful effect
-
Your Pixel phone just got the biggest update of the year – Android 16 rolling out now
Google has started to roll out the full Android 16 update to supported Pixel phones
-
iPadOS 26 just made the iPad a true Mac replacement
Wait, did Apple just make a touchscreen MacBook?
-
There's an Android foldable coming with Apple Watch support – the first of its kind
Is Vivo about to take a swinging ball to Apple’s walled garden?
-
Apple's new Mac software brings many iOS 26 benefits – but adds one thing
Changes aplenty
-
Apple's AirPods are getting a very useful upgrade – but not all models
Apple is updating AirPods 4 and AirPods Pro 2 with some great creativity features
-
Apple takes gaming seriously at last – separate Games app coming to iOS 26
Apple Games will include Arcade and other gaming services
-
Apple confirms iOS 26 with huge updates and major new features
Apple's switching up its naming game
-
Your iPhone will look very different after Apple's Liquid Glass update
All your other Apple devices are getting the new redesign too