As a Pixel fan, here’s why I’m not going to use Google’s Pixel Journal app

Two years after Apple launched its Journal app on the iPhone, Pixel Journal is debuting on the Pixel 10 series to give Pixel owners their own out-of-the-box journaling app — and it looks good! Pixel Journal runs entirely on-device, uses AI to help you think of journaling prompts, tracks your progress, and more.

For some people, Pixel Journal could be the perfect app. But as much as I like all things Pixel, I’ll be staying away from Pixel Journal and using another journaling app instead.

Looking at what Google has shared about Pixel Journal, one of the things that struck me first is how basic the app appears to be. The UI and aesthetics look as clean and elegant as you’d expect from Google, but the actual feature set seems to be lacking.

We know that Pixel Journal will let you fill entries with text, photos, and snippets of your exercise/physical activity throughout the day. You’ll be able to lock your journal to keep prying eyes away from it, see a tally of various journaling stats (such as your total entries and longest word count), and see a month view of your journal entries with emojis denoting your overall mood for that day/entry.

And … that’s about it. As a frequent journaler myself, I can’t help but notice how much is missing. Where’s the option to have multiple journals? Is there no way to view journal entries with a gallery or map view? What kind of text formatting controls are there, if any at all? Are there any templates to help me organize my thoughts?

A more significant issue is the availability of Pixel Journal. The app is launching first on Google’s Pixel 10 series and, presumably, will come to older Pixels at a later date. But as of right now, Google hasn’t said anything about bringing Pixel Journal to other Android phones, Android tablets, or desktops.

It’s this hardware exclusivity that’s one of my biggest deterrents for Pixel Journal. I like journaling apps because of the flexibility they can offer — the ability to journal on whatever phone, tablet, or computer/laptop I’m using. If I’m jotting down a short entry, I’m sure the Pixel 10 would suffice. However, if I have a lot to write about, I want to sit down with my laptop, equipped with a proper keyboard and a large display. I won’t get that option with Pixel Journal, and that alone is a deal-breaker.

Then there’s the AI elephant in the room.

Google has been upfront about Pixel Journal using the Pixel 10’s Gemini Nano models to create AI-generated journal prompts. Not only that, Gemini will be able to analyze your past entries and suggest new things to write about based on them.

Maybe it’s just me, but the idea of an AI reading my journal and then telling me what I should write about feels … bad. I don’t doubt that it could spur new journaling ideas, but it’s all a step too far that I’m not ready to take.

Another big concern I have about Pixel Journal may not be fully justified, but it’s something I can’t shake — and that’s Pixel Journal’s longevity.

Time and time again, we’ve seen Google launch and kill products on a whim. Whether it’s Stadia, Google Podcasts, Pixel Pass, or the dozens of other projects that have come and gone over the years, Google has a long and storied history of killing things it launches.

While there’s no indication that this will happen to Pixel Journal, it’s hard for me to trust writing my deepest and most personal thoughts in an app created by a company with Google’s track record. The idea of building up months or years of journal entries, just for Google to shut down Pixel Journal one day, isn’t something I want to put myself through.

Now, could you make this same argument for any Google product? Sure. Yet that doesn’t stop me from using Pixel Weather, Google Keep, Google Tasks, or so many other Google apps. But for something as personal and sacred as a journal, I need the assurance that it’s going to be around for the long term — and I don’t have that from Google.

If I’m not going to use Pixel Journal, what journal app will I use instead? The one I’ve been using for six years: Day One.

I started using Day One in 2019 as part of a New Year’s resolution to keep a regular journal after having not done so since my childhood. I wasn’t sure how I’d get along with it, but I’ve remained (mostly) consistent, and it’s turned into something pretty special. I now have a little time capsule chronicling my life over the last few years, and every time I go through it, I’m happy past Joe made that resolution one December day in late 2018.

While you could start using Pixel Journal on the Pixel 10 and have a similar experience, there’s so much that Day One offers that Pixel Journal does not. It’s little things like a map view of my journal entries and loads of formatting tools, but it’s also big features like being able to use Day One on virtually any phone, tablet, or computer I want.

And, even more critically, there’s the trust that I have in Day One. Day One Journal has been around since 2011. That’s 14 years of being in operation with no signs of going offline, and that’s important to me. In addition to the expected exporting tools, Day One even allows you to order physical prints of your journals, ensuring you can save and back up your writing however you wish.

I’m certainly interested in seeing how Pixel Journal evolves over the coming weeks and months, and maybe one day it’ll reach the point where I want to give it a shot. But right now, I’ll be watching from the sidelines and journaling elsewhere.