Ryan Haines / Android Authority
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TL;DR
- The Pixel Journal app is taking early steps toward letting users add audio recordings through a Google Recorder integration.
- We’re also seeing references in the app that mention adding existing voice recordings and transcripts.
- The Pixel-exclusive journaling app is also adding a new export option to back up all contents in a zip file.
An update to the Pixel Journal app shows early signs of the upcoming Google Recorder integration and adds a nifty export option for your entries. While Pixel Journal already lets you add a range of items to your personal diary, including your location, photos, and activities via Health Connect, the option to add your own voice recordings has been absent, but that could change imminently.
In the latest version of the Pixel Journal app, a Record new audio option exists within the Add item section, accessible via the plus menu from a journal entry (via 9to5Google).
Tapping this newly added button prompts us to update the Google Recorder app, as the second screenshot above shows. However, the Play Store doesn’t appear to show a pending update for the Recorder app at the time of writing.
This suggests a future update could unlock support, though it’s surprising that a crucial journaling feature like this is missing from the Pixel Journal app. Meanwhile, a peek at the app’s code reveals the ability to add existing recordings and transcripts, though these features aren’t live as of yet.
Additionally, the Pixel Journal is getting a new export option on the settings page to back up journal entries in one place. Backups generated in this fashion will include all content, including images and videos (and presumably recordings in the future).
The HTML backup is stored as a zip file, which you can view locally on your device after unpacking it and opening the index.html file.
Google launched the Journal app exclusively with the Pixel 10 series, but has since expanded it to the Pixel 9 and Pixel 8. While its features may not match established journaling apps like Day One, upcoming feature additions could narrow the gap.