Google's impressive Recorder app is coming to older Pixel phones

Google’s Pixel series is a showcase for the company’s machine learning prowess, and the Pixel 4 is no different. Between dual exposure controls and Live Caption, it’s clear that Google is flexing its muscles.

The Recorder app is another impressive Pixel 4 feature, using on-device machine learning to transcribe people speaking. Fortunately, Google has now confirmed that this feature is coming to older Pixel devices too.

The official PixelCommunity reddit account told a reddit user (h/t: Android Police) that Google plans to bring the Recorder app to “older Pixel phones” in a future software update.

There’s no word on a launch date or specific Pixel models that will receive the app, but the Pixel 3 series seems like a no-brainer. In fact, two users in the thread noted that a side-loaded version of the Recorder app works on the Pixel 3 XL and Pixel 2.

It’s not the first time that we’ve seen a recorder app capable of transcribing speech, as we’ve previously seen Samsung offer this feature as well. But Samsung’s implementation relies on an internet connection, while Google uses on-device machine learning to enable offline transcriptions.

Google has also confirmed that its astrophotography mode is coming to the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3a, as well as the Live Caption capability. So you don’t necessarily have to buy a Pixel 4 to get some of its coolest features.