I forgot to use the Pixel 8 Pro's temperature sensor right when I needed it

For the past couple of weeks, I’ve been suffering from a cocktail of cold, flu, and cough like pretty much every single person I’ve crossed paths with in Paris or Beirut. We’re all under the weather, but being asthmatic means my symptoms often go to some annoying extremes and my immunity just takes a vacation when the outside temperature drops below 15°C.

Two weeks ago, for example, I developed a nice two-day fever. I knew I was feverish because I’ve been blessed with a built-in thermostat: my hands go cold while my abdomen heats up, and the difference between the two usually tells me how bad my fever is. Around 38.5°C (101.5°F) I told my husband, but we had no way to verify that because we have no thermometer at home.

Or do we?

It’s been two weeks and I just realized today while holding my Pixel 8 Pro that it does house a temperature sensor. Google hasn’t condoned its usage on humans yet, but we know the company is seeking FDA approval to measure human temperature and integrate the data into the Fitbit app. So it should work.

In Dhruv’s tests, the Pixel 8 Pro’s sensor wasn’t as accurate as a regular infrared thermometer, but it wouldn’t have hurt to try it right when I needed it. Except I didn’t think of that because I forgot my phone has such an eccentric addition.

Another proof that the temperature sensor has slipped my mind is that I forgot to use it for controlling the temperature of my hot beverages too.

See, here in France, I have a Xiaomi kettle that heats up my water to a precise 65°C (149°F) — the perfect temperature that I can immediately drink without waiting for my tea or coffee to chill. But when I was visiting my family in Lebanon, I had to forget about my fancy modern equipment and go back to manually heating a water kettle on the stove. My first-world frustration was compounded by a burnt tongue once, a mildly hot camomille tea another time, and several instances of not-so-right tea or hot chocolate temperatures. The calamity!

And, obviously, I forgot to use the Pixel 8 Pro’s thermometer every single time to get my water within an acceptable range. Again, I only remembered it earlier today, after getting back to Paris and to my precise kettle.

I’m bitter about this because I’m usually the first person to jump on a new tech feature, test it, and make the most of it in everyday situations. But, clearly, the presence of a temperature sensor in my phone has not yet clicked for me. It hasn’t popped up in my head in the very moments when it would’ve been the most useful and I’m left a bit annoyed that I didn’t even try it to see if it could’ve helped or not. On the scale of Pixel gimmicks, this is up there with the Pixel 4 series’ Motion Sense for me.

What about you? Do you regularly use the Pixel 8 Pro’s temperature sensor to monitor your beverages, various objects, or your own temperature? Or have you forgotten about it just like I have?