The barely-mentioned Pixel 9 wonder that’s completely won me over

If you go by Google’s marketing, the most important part of its new Pixel 9 devices revolves almost entirely around two tremendously trendy letters: “A” and “I.”

Yes, indeedly: Google’s gung ho about pushing its assorted AI elements as a defining differentiator of the Pixel 9 experience. In reality, though, lemme tell ya: Having lived with the latest Pixels for a solid couple weeks now, those aren’t the advantages that actually matter.

The latest Pixels’ less flashy features make much more of a meaningful difference in your day-to-day life — and, combined with the Pixel 9 series’ exceptional hardware, its unusually unmuddled Android user experience, and its unmatched software support promise, they are really the reasons to consider these devices.

But beyond things like the Pixel calling conveniences and the awesome new Call Notes system, one Pixel 9 possibility in particular has jumped out at me and become a real highlight in my time with the devices.

It’s something Google’s never so much as mentioned, as far as I’m aware, and something you could easily overlook entirely if you weren’t paying close attention. But it’s shaping up to be my favorite Pixel 9 addition and quite possibly my favorite all-around Android invention in recent memory — and it might just convince me to make the leap from my own personal Pixel 8 Pro, solely to have access to this smart new system.

[Psst: Got a Pixel? Any Pixel? Check out my free Pixel Academy e-course to find all sorts of advanced intelligence lurking within whichever model you’re using!]

Let me show you what it’s all about.

Google’s Pixel reminder puzzle

Real quick, a fast flash of context: Here in the land o’ Android, those of us obsessed with organization have had quite the rocky roller coaster ride when it comes to reminders.

‘Twas a time when setting reminders on Android was delightfully easy and effective, no matter what specific need or purpose might be involved. We had a brilliantly versatile cross-platform Google Assistant system for setting and managing reminders on any device — based on date and time, location, you name it — and we even had a handy option for setting reminders specific to incoming messages within Google Messages.

Then, Google…Googled. It clunked up the Assistant reminders system, killed off its cross-platform capabilities, and eliminated some of its most useful options. (And then — well, y’know.) It also mysteriously removed the Messages reminder feature, with no fanfare and for no apparent reason.

So with that context in mind, I mean it when I say this: A new Pixel-specific reminders system that’s quietly launching on the Pixel 9 devices really is remarkable. It makes me forget all the lost Android reminder options from the past and appreciate the simple, seamless, system-wide ability to set myself a reminder about anything, anytime, at an operating-system level — then rest easy knowing it’ll pop back up to command my attention exactly when I need it.

The system is connected to the new Pixel Screenshots app present on Google’s new Pixel 9 devices. That app, in case you haven’t heard, encourages you to capture screenshots whenever you see something you want to remember and then makes it easy to search through, ask questions about, and generally revisit that info later.

That’s all well and good — and it’s a welcome touch within the Pixel 9 experience. (It’s also one of the few genuinely clever and practical applications of generative AI right now, both within the Google universe and within tech in general.) But it isn’t the Android-wide reminders revelation I most relish.

The feature that’s really won me over is a small, easily overlooked added icon that appears alongside the standard system screenshot pop-up anytime you capture a screenshot on a Pixel 9 — by pressing the phone’s power and volume-down buttons or by using any other Android screenshot shortcut.

See for yourself — it’s the innocuous-looking little bell icon in the lower-left corner of the screen, right alongside the screenshot sharing command and the option for editing.

The newly present screenshot reminder button, as seen on a Google Pixel 9 Pro XL phone.JR Raphael, IDG

Tap that thing and tap it with gusto, and wouldya look what pops right up — no matter where you are on the device or what else you were doing:

A universal reminder-for-anything pop-up panel on a Pixel 9 phone.JR Raphael, IDG

Wha-wha-wha-whaaaat?! I literally did a double-take and had a jaw-dropping-in-astonishment moment when I first noticed this and decided to try tapping it.

When you do, the system does exactly what you’d expect in return: You can select any of the suggested times for your reminder or opt to choose your own, and as soon as that moment arrives, your phone pops up a new notification with whatever you’d captured in your screenshot — including an AI-generated title, based on the screenshot’s contents, and a scaled-down thumbnail of the screenshot itself.

Set a reminder about anything from anywhere, get a context-containing notification when the time is right. Yes, please!JR Raphael, IDG

Tapping on that notification takes you into the Pixel Screenshots app, which shows your saved screenshot in its entirety along with an AI-aided summary of what the screenshot contains and built-in buttons pointing to any relevant links.

Tapping a Pixel 9 reminder pulls up even more info about what you captured.JR Raphael, IDG

And that’s just the mechanical part of this process. The real magic comes from how you put it to use.

The Pixel 9 reminder advantage

As I’ve been learning, the ways you can use this new Pixel reminders system are practically endless:

Got an incoming message from Google Messages, Slack, or any other app that you can’t deal with right away but don’t want to forget to revisit — whether later that same day or at some point further in the future?

Or maybe it’s an email you encountered and want to be sure to come back to before your workday is up.

Maybe there’s a web page you opened and don’t want to forget to peruse more carefully once the evening hours arrive.

Or perhaps you missed a call and need to remember to return to it the next morning.

The list just keeps going from there — from travel planning to ticket purchasing, bank transferring to bill paying, even document reviewing or spreadsheet editing, creating a reminder around anything you’re doing on your phone is never more than a press and a tap away.

Snap a screenshot, set a reminder. It doesn’t get any simpler than that.

This is the type of real-life, value-adding benefit that makes Pixels so special. This is the type of subtle but significant productivity-booster that makes technology exciting. And this is the type of advantage that makes people like me want to drop droves of dough on a new phone that’s for all intents and purposes otherwise pretty darn similar to the one I’m already using.

On that note: For the moment, at least, this new reminders system is specific to the new Pixel 9 models. (It’s possible that Google could bring it to other Pixel devices eventually, but so far, the company won’t comment either way about if or when that might happen.) If you’re planning on picking one up — or you’ve already got one in those suspiciously sticky salamander paws of yours — be sure to start snapping screenshots and get in the habit of using that handy new universal option.

And if you don’t expect to be using a Pixel 9 series device anytime soon, don’t despair. I’ve got a special little somethin’ to share soon that might just have you feeling a little less envious of this new organizational superpower.

Look for my next Android Intelligence newsletter issue in your inbox on Friday to be the first to find out — and/or keep an eye on this column for all the illuminating info.

[Update: Here it is! How to bring Google’s remarkable Pixel 9 reminder system to any Android device.]

Don’t let yourself miss an ounce of Pixel magic. Start my free Pixel Academy e-course to uncover tons of hidden features for your favorite Pixel phone!