Google's excuse for locking Pixel Screenshots away just disappeared

Summary

• Pixel Screenshots was gated to Pixel 9 and newer due to on-device processing.
• Google now lists AI as 'on device or in the cloud' in the Pixel Screenshots app, suggesting mixed processing.
• If cloud support rolls out widely, Pixel Screenshots should expand to older Pixels.

One of the most frustrating things about new phones, especially in the age of AI, is that older phones often miss out on new features and applications that rely on newer hardware to run smoothly. This was the case with Pixel Screenshots, an app that launched alongside the Google Pixel 9. At the time, one of the main reasons Google cited for keeping Pixel Screenshots off older devices was that it required the power of the newer Tensor chip in the Pixel 9 to power its on-device processing. But, that might not be an issue much longer.

Google seems to be changing how on-device processing works with Pixel Screenshots

It seems the AI needs the cloud to work now

When the Pixel 9 released, we called it one of the best AI smartphones of the year in our Pixel 9 review. The phone launched with a ton of Google's Gemini features baked in, including Pixel Screenshots. This app was useful not only as a way to organize your screenshots on your device, but also because it allowed you to more easily sift through that information using AI.

This is where the big stipulation came into play. Because while Google has relied on its Tensor chips since the Pixel 6, the company said that Pixel Screenshots would only work on the Pixel 9 and above due to needing AI capabilities that the older Pixels couldn't deliver. However, based on the current reports from Android Authority, Google appears to be moving away from on-device processing, and instead relying on a mixture of on-device and cloud-based processing.

At the moment, the only real information we have to go on for this particular change are screenshots captured by Android Authority. These screenshots were taken from the previous version, as well as the latest version (v1.26.134.11) of the Pixel Screenshots app, which is still rolling out. The settings page for toggling the ability to search through your screenshots with AI has been updated. The setting was previously called Search your screenshots with on-device AI, but it has been updated to just Search your screenshots with AI. Additionally, the description of the function has been updated. It is now much shorter, but notes that "Data used by Screenshots is protected in a secure, isolated environment on your device on in the cloud."

This could be a sign of Screenshots releasing on older Pixels

At least, that's my hope

There are quite a few things that this change prompts. For starters, it might make some people feel like the use of AI in Pixel Screenshots is now less secure. On-device AI just adds some extra peace of mind to the equation. However, I do think it is important to note that on-device most likely is not going away completely. In fact, I feel like this could just be a setup to allow Pixel Screenshots to expand to older Pixel phones, too, as the mention of it being in a "secure, isolated environment on your device or in the cloud," clearly represents that on-device processing will happen in some places.

This is a feature that should never have been locked away from older Pixel devices, especially since Google supports its devices for so long. Of course, this is all just pure speculation on my part, at least until we actually see Pixel Screenshots on a Pixel 8 or older — or Google actually makes an official announcement. But, as it stands, the addition of cloud-based processing means Google has absolutely no reason not to bring the Pixel Screenshots app to all of its currently supported devices. Other than to gatekeep a powerful AI feature that you can already add to any Android phone with this third-party app.