Google Unveils AI-Powered Pixel Journal App for Pixel 10 Series

Google launches a new Pixel Journal app | TechCrunch

Google launched a new journaling app called the Pixel Journal at its Pixel 10 launch event, which comes nearly two years after Apple introduced its Journal app in 2023 with the arrival of iOS 17. Google said its Pixel Journal uses on-device AI models to prompt users to fill out journal entries. The app can also suggest writing prompts based on memories, past entries, or your goals. Plus, you can add photos, locations, and activities to a journal entry apart from logging your mood. The company said that the Journal app will learn about your patterns based on your writing habits and provide you with different insights -- such as when you usually write your entries, the longest entry by word count in a month or a week, and the number of entries in a month or a week. It noted that you can also lock your journal app to prevent others from accessing your entries. While the app is available only to Pixel 10 series devices, Google may release it for older Pixel phones in the future.

Pixel 10 Phones Get Their Own Journal App and AI Writing Tools

Left to right: Pixel 10 Pro XL, Pixel 10 Pro, Pixel 10 (Credit: Eric Zeman/PCMag) Don't miss out on our latest stories. Add PCMag as a preferred source on Google. With all the attention on the Pixel 10 hardware this week, some of the "Made by Google" software updates may have gone unnoticed. The Pixel 10 series includes Google's version of the Apple Journal app. The app, called Pixel Journal, uses on-device AI to provide writing prompts and lets you add photos, places, and activities to your entries. In a screenshot shared on Google Play, the app is seen suggesting ideas that align with your past notes. To keep your journaling private, you can lock your entries. To track how you're progressing, you can head to the Insights dashboard and check stats for total entries, word count, and active hours. The calendar here also has emojis for each time you made a note; the emojis reflect how you felt that particular day. Another feature Google introduced is Writing Tools for Gboard. Like Apple's Writing Tools feature, you can use it not just to proofread your sentences, but also to rewrite them in a more professional, friendly, or elaborate way. The tool also lets you write and edit sentences by providing voice commands. To access it, as 9to5Google reports, tap the pencil icon in the suggestions bar of the keyboard. Writing tools are not new to the Google ecosystem. Products like Gmail and Google Docs have had Gemini's Help Me Write tool since 2023. While that tool lets you to generate text using prompts, the Gboard feature lets you refine what's already written. There were plenty of other AI-powered software features announced at the Pixel event on Wednesday. Two of the biggest highlights are real-time live translation for calls and a Magic Cue feature that fetches helpful information for calls and messages from apps across the device. Google also added some interesting capabilities to Gemini Live and Photos. While you share your view, Gemini Live can now highlight the exact object it is talking about. Google Photos, on the other hand, now lets you edit images using text prompts. You can take a quick glance at some of the other nifty updates in a separate Google blog post.

Google's Journal app is real -- and Pixel 10 owners get first dibs

Made by Google has now concluded, and the tech giant's long-awaited Pixel 10 series is finally available to pre-order! At the event, in addition to showcasing the new devices, Google also unveiled Pixelsnap, new AI features like Magic Cue and Camera Coach, and a new Pixel Journal app that might have gone under the radar. Similar to Apple's 2023-launched Journal app, Pixel Journal is a safe space, a digital diary to reflect on and jot down everyday moments. However, unlike Apple's implementation, Pixel Journal is built with AI at its core and is limited to the tech giant's latest Pixel 10 series. Aimed at helping users make a habit of self-reflection, the app uses on-device AI models to give you "writing prompts that help you process your thoughts," complete with information about past topics, memories, goals and more. Imagine opening the app and getting a run-down of everything you've done recently, and what activities will make great journal entries. This should help you get in the habit of jotting down important life events. Once you're used to maintaining the journal, you'll find that you don't even need the AI to get started. The app has a built-in lock When jotting down thoughts, users will be able to add photos, relevant map locations, and activities to their entries. As you keep jotting, the app will give you insights about your personal growth with information about the most active time for journaling, total entries, and the longest entry by word count. Insights are divided into weekly and monthly views, and have the potential to offer an interactive way of understanding your personal journaling journey and encourage consistency. Additionally, considering that you'll be jotting down your most private thoughts and memories, Google has ensured that your data remains safe from prying eyes with an option to lock the app. The tech giant detail how exactly that'll work, so we'll have to wait until we actually get our hands on a Pixel 10 series device. Pixel Journal is limited to the latest Pixel 10 series. While not explicitly mentioned, it is very likely that Google will roll it out to older Pixels in the near future.

Pixel Phones Now Have Their Own Journaling App

I Watch Everything With Subtitles. These Are My Biggest Pet Peeves Summary The Pixel Journal app is a digital diary using AI, offering insights and goal tracking, with privacy as a priority. The app keeps all data local, uses on-device AI models, and can be locked with a PIN for even more security. Only available on Pixel 10 series in English for now, potentially accessible on older devices through sideloading. Earlier today, Google announced the Pixel 10 series and the Pixel 10 Pro Fold. However, a Pixel phone is more about software than hardware, and this year, Google is introducing a new app. It's called the Pixel Journal, and it wants to be your digital diary (with the help of AI, of course). The Pixel Journal app comes two years after Apple launched its own Journal app for the iPhone. Google's app takes a very different approach, though. You can use the app to jot down your thoughts, add photos, tag locations, and generally create a record of your life. But what makes it different is the use of AI. It can give you insights over time and even help track your progress on goals. All of this is kept completely private. That privacy is something Google is very proud of. In a world where every app seems to want to send your data to the cloud, the Pixel Journal app keeps it all local. All processing and storage happen right on your phone, thanks to the on-device Gemini Nano models running on the new Tensor G5 chip. You don't have to worry about your most personal thoughts floating around on some server. If you want even more security, you can lock the app with a PIN. Google Pixel 10 Pro XL Brand Google SoC Google Tensor G5 Display 6.8-inch Super Actua, 20:9 RAM 16 GB RAM Storage 128 GB / 256 GB / 512 GB with Zoned UFS / 1 TB with Zoned UFS Battery 5200mAh $1199 at Amazon $1199 at Best Buy $1199 at Google Store $1199 at AT&T Expand Collapse Of course, the app is only available on the new Pixel 10 series for now, and it's only in English. While it does rely on on-device processing, I can't imagine why it wouldn't be able to work on older Pixel phones. If Google doesn't bring it to those devices eventually, it could probably be sideloaded and work just fine. Regardless, it seems like a neat idea and a potentially useful area for AI to do its thing. Source: Google