Pixel Screenshots just moved away from using on-device AI only, but is it less private?

When Google launched the Pixel Screenshots app with the Pixel 9, it used on-device AI running on the phone’s Tensor chip to organize and recall your screenshots. It was quite good at it, too. However, the company has now apparently decided that it does, in fact, need cloud-based AI processing to power the app, at least in some cases.

The latest version of the Pixel Screenshots app (v1.26.134.11) comes with a change in the settings that highlights its switch from exclusively using on-device AI to using both on-device and cloud-based AI.

The old app specifically mentioned, “Search your screenshots with on-device AI.” However, the new version changes that to “Search your screenshots with AI.” The explanation below the toggle also reflects the change with new text stating that data can be processed on-device or in the cloud.

It’s unclear exactly what new features will be available with the cloud-based AI. However, if you’re worried about privacy, Google is at least saying that it will use a “secure, isolated environment” to process your screenshots. That could mean the app will use Google’s Private AI Compute to power the app.

That’s highly likely because Pixel’s Magic Cue and Recorder apps also started using Private AI Compute late last year to provide timely suggestions and improved transcriptions in more languages, respectively. Google says that Private AI Compute enables “on-device features to perform with extended capabilities while retaining their privacy assurance.”

The Pixel Screenshots update that brings this change hasn’t rolled out widely yet, so you might not see it in the Play Store. However, it could reach more users soon.