Google's new Pixel Screenshots app brings order to your messy memories and memes

AI knows how to put on a flashy show, sure, generating lifelike imagery out of (seemingly) nothing at all, but don’t let that distract you from some of its still-very-cool utilitarian uses. We’ve seen how AI can help you get started drafting an email or even summarize one you’ve received, but working with text is easy. What about something that taps into AI’s ability to extract machine-readable data from images, organize that data, and use it to respond to your questions? That’s exactly what Google’s doing with the new Pixel 9 family, letting you prepare your own little personal archive with Pixel Screenshots.

Pixel Screenshots is debuting as an all-new app on Pixel 9 series phones. We’ve been hearing about work on this one for a while now, often in terms of comparison to Microsoft Recall. If you opt-in to its AI processing, the app will analyze every screenshot you save with your phone. It does that all on-device with the power of Google’s new Tensor G4 chip, which should help mitigate some privacy concerns.

When you’re curious about something you did on your phone months ago and think you might have saved a relevant screenshot around the same time, all you’ll need to do is ask Gemini and see if it can connect the dots.

One nice element here is that you’ll not just get a straight answer to your question, but your phone will also show you the specific screenshot it’s using to generate that answer — a nice sanity check if you’re seeing some wonky results or are just interested in more context.

If you’re switching devices and feel like importing a whole mess of old screenshots, Pixel Screenshots will even be able to process those, too — it just doesn’t happen by default.

Of course, getting the most out of Pixel Screenshots will necessitate you actually taking them in the first place — and that may not be a behavior all of us are really into already. But once you get in the habit there, this new tool sounds like it has the potential to really enhance how you access your own information.