Google Widens Pixel Camera 10.4 Rollout to Fix 3 Crash and Freezing Issues

Q: Is the Pixel 9's hardware truly incapable of running new Gemini AI, or is this an artificial push to force upgrades?

It is probably both: there is a real technical gap, but Google is also making a product-segmentation choice that pushes upgrades. Google’s official case is that the new “Gemini Intelligence” needs Gemini Nano v3, at least 12GB of RAM, a flagship-class chip, Android AICore support, and long update coverage. The Pixel 9 series uses Tensor G4 and is listed as lacking Nano v3 support, which gives Google a concrete basis for excluding it. That matters because these newer agentic AI features depend on faster on-device inference, lower latency, and stronger memory bandwidth than older Tensor hardware may reliably deliver. But the evidence also suggests the Pixel 9 is not simply “incapable.” Some Pixel 9 models, such as higher-end Pro variants, meet the RAM threshold. Google has previously reversed itself on AI limits, notably when it later brought Gemini Nano to the base Pixel 8 after initially saying the hardware could not handle it. Google has also shown it can ship lighter, cloud-assisted AI versions on weaker devices, including wearables. That makes the current cutoff look less like a hard yes-or-no hardware wall and more like a decision about what level of performance, privacy, and offline capability Google is willing to support on older phones. In practice, the Pixel 9 likely could run a reduced or cloud-backed version of some new Gemini features. What it likely cannot guarantee is the full, fast, on-device experience Google wants to reserve for the Pixel 10 generation.

2 articles · Updated · 9to5Google · Jun 30

Pixel Camera 10.4 is now reaching more users through the Google Play Store, extending a June rollout that began with the 2026 Pixel Drop but is still not fully complete.
Three fixes drive the minor update: a camera stability bug that could crash the system on Pixel 9-10a, a video-zoom freeze on Pixel 10-10a, and a camera service crash affecting overall stability on Pixel 6-10a.
Version 10.4 brings no visible features or interface changes, fitting its role as a maintenance release rather than a broader camera refresh.
Google last gave Pixel Camera a Material 3 Expressive redesign in version 10.1 last October, while bigger feature changes are more likely around the Pixel 11 launch or the expected September Pixel Drop.