At its annual Made By Google event, Google not only announced its new Pixel 9 series line-up alongside Pixel Buds Pro 2 and the Pixel Watch 3, but it also revealed a heap of AI-powered features and tools.
AI has undoubtedly been at the heart of Google and its Pixel series, so it’s unsurprising that we’re seeing such an array of new and innovative AI-powered features, with one of the most intriguing being Pixel Screenshots.
Keep reading to learn more about the new Pixel Screenshots app from Google, how it works and which devices you’ll be able to access the tool on.
What is Pixel Screenshots?
Pixel Screenshots is a new app found across the Pixel 9 series, which uses AI to sort through all your screenshots, allowing you to organise and recall the details you want to quickly find.
With the use of AI, Pixel Screenshots analyses the content of the image and makes it searchable from within the app. This is done by tapping the search icon, typing in your query using conversational language and Pixel Screenshots will then provide the relevant image.
During the Made By Google 2024 keynote event, Google provided the example of searching for “shoes” or “bikes”, with all relevant screenshots appearing on screen.
Pixel Screenshots also allows users to search for more complex queries. Google provided the example of searching for “t-shirt price” and Pixel Screenshots will not only provide the original image but also will display the answer, based on information within the image, all in easy-to-understand, natural language.
If that’s not enough, Pixel Screenshots will even remember where you originally took the screenshot too, which means you can get linked back to the original website.
How does Pixel Screenshots work?
All Pixel 9 series handsets will come with Gemini Nano, Google’s AI-powered chatbot assistant built-in and will run on Google’s new Tensor G4 processor which, thanks to its boosted RAM and development by Google DeepMind, enables speedy AI processing.
Whenever you capture and save a screenshot, Gemini Nano will automatically begin processing all the information contained within the image, with Google providing examples of “the address of a restaurant, or the items and prices in a receipt”, alongside any other helpful metadata.
Pixel Screenshots will then generate an AI-powered title and summary of the screenshot plus offer you suggested actions based on the content. So if you’ve taken a screenshot of an appointment card, Pixel Screenshots can automatically set a reminder and add the details to your Google Calendar too.
As this is all done on-device, Pixel Screenshots doesn’t even need internet connection to recall information.
Which devices will use Pixel Screenshots?
All of the Pixel 9 series handsets will come with Pixel Screenshots ready to go, including:
At the time of writing, Google hasn’t confirmed whether other Pixel handsets, such as the Pixel 8 Pro, will eventually receive access to Pixel Screenshots.
Is Pixel Screenshots safe?
Google promises that personal information remains protected and private when using a Pixel handset, thanks to the integration of Gemini Nano on-device which negates the need to share data with untrustworthy third-party AI providers.
It explains that your data, including screenshots, “lives within Google’s secure end-to-end architecture, keeping your information safe and private.”
OPINION: I’ve used Pixel Screenshots and it’s great
The Pixel Screenshots app is like Microsoft’s controversial Recall feature, but done right. The fact that the app not only automatically pulls in screenshots but automatically analyses them for important data makes finding said data much easier when you need it in a pinch, and I love that I can manually add your own photos to the app for physical documents. You’ll never have to mindlessly scroll through your screenshots folder again!
