It’s been almost two months since I entered the world of the Pixel 9, and I’ve been using the Pixel 9 Pro (or its foldable companion) as my daily driver for the majority of that time, but I’ve finally decided to give it a long-term look. I’m starting to reach a conclusion. This is not possible during the rigorous review period. For me, it was a complete disappointment with this year’s roundup of AI features. While I expected Pixel Studio to be an instant flop (though it wasn’t by much), Google’s dedicated screenshot app looked pretty promising during my early hands-on time. Unfortunately, I don’t know if it lived up to my high expectations.
First of all, I’m not sure this app needed to exist. To quote fellow AP editor Taylor Kerns’ excellent article from last month, the existence of pixel screenshots outside of Google Photos means there are too many places to find these images. Duplicating functionality does not make a tool easier to use. Contact Samsung for proof. But what’s worse is that Google doesn’t seem to understand how largely disposable screenshots are, something Apple, of all companies, inherently understands.
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Pixel 9 saves screenshots in too many places
Screenshots and photos and files, ok
Not every screenshot needs to be a lasting memory, Google
After all, there’s a reason we don’t back up to Photos by default.
During my first few weeks with the Pixel 9 series, I worked hard to use all the new AI-powered tricks, including Pixel screenshots. This isn’t necessarily a review of Pixel Screenshots, but I will say that I found the whole experience to be pretty underwhelming. Aside from how irritating the name is (Pixel Studio retains the brand name, what I have in the app drawer is just a “screenshot”, which baffles me every time I open the app); I had a really hard time justifying the amount of space on Google – the device AI model is taxing on the Pixel 9 Pro compared to how slow it is processing screenshots of fantasy football teams.
And really, that It’s a pixel screenshot issue. If you look at the screenshots you capture on your Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro Fold (that is, the ones you haven’t deleted), almost all of them are unnecessary. Admittedly, there’s some important information here, including a drink idea folder that I started after trying plum wine at a ramen shop in Toronto. But broadly speaking, my screenshots consist of saved tweets, chat threads, and snippets of online op-eds I’ve deemed worth sharing.
In almost every instance, these screenshots are filtered and sorted by Gemini, saved to be sent to a friend via text message, and then forgotten about seconds later, rather than being added to an ever-growing library. I did. Nothing makes sense about Pixel Screenshots this It makes aspects of my life easier. Instead, Google seems to value my collection more than I thought, but what I’m looking for is an easy way to permanently delete these images from my phone.
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Google needs to take a page out of Apple’s strategy
Screenshots must be recoverable and disposable
This may sound a little too positive for Apple, but the iPhone is the only device I’ve used in the past year that seems to understand why you take screenshots. Since iOS 11, Apple has always used the same basic UI when capturing displays, whether it’s an iPhone or an iPad. A small preview of the image will appear in the bottom left corner of the screen, and tapping it will reveal a number of editing and sharing tools.
If this looks familiar even though you’re an Android user, that’s because Google actually stole this exact style three years later with Android 11. Samsung is obsessed with toolbar previews (which I really like), but while Pixel phones function much like Apple’s phones, they don’t have the same level of practicality. Similarly, you too used You can now delete screenshots directly from the notification tray, but that feature is no longer available on Pixel.
Although it’s hidden under an admittedly poorly labeled “Done” button, Apple is giving iPhone users some options for saving screenshots that aren’t in the (equally poorly optimized) share menu. We provide. You can immediately save the image as a photo, file, or quick note, or delete the capture permanently. This option is also located outside of this menu, under the trash can icon. What the Pixel doesn’t have, however, is copy and delete. This has become my go-to strategy for sharing screenshots whenever I use my iPhone or iPad.
This turns sharing into a quick and easy process. Take a screenshot, tap Done, then tap Copy and Delete. You’ll be back to your previous view, and now you can go to Telegram, Slack, or whatever app you were planning to use this image for and share it using old-fashioned keyboard commands. However, the keyboard. You don’t have to worry about an entire library of memes and out-of-context snippets taking up storage on your device or finding time on a Saturday to organize your library. They disappear the moment you press send.
In contrast, trying to do the same on a Pixel device is futile. Easy to share or You can also delete photos, but both require quick action on your part. Tapping on the image itself (which opens the Screenshot app on Pixel 9) and tapping the edit button will open a new window. From there, you can save the screenshot to the app of your choice and return to the markup UI from the list of recent apps. Finallyyou can delete anything you capture. Unsurprisingly, this is the worst.
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Let’s take a look at the Apple and Google Notes pages.
This is not a difficult concept to master, Google
Or at least it shouldn’t be
There’s no need for Google to copy directly from Apple’s playbook. You can toggle Samsung’s never-ending list of settings to automatically delete screenshots after sharing, which accomplishes a similar feat (albeit with less control). But looking at the Pixel Screenshots UI, I can’t help but think there’s plenty of room to add options to do exactly what I’m describing, complete with its own little icon.
We appreciate the thought and care behind things like Pixel Screenshots and really hope it continues to improve with future feature drops. That said, I can’t help but wonder if this proves that Google has a fundamental misunderstanding of how the majority of people think about screenshots. . Screenshots are thought of as a fleeting glimpse of what you see, rather than important information that won’t be lost over time. I found it worth sharing in the group chat. I think Android, or at least the Pixel’s Android flavor, can and should make room for both.
