Sometimes, simple sure is tough to beat. In tech today, it’s all too easy to get lost in a sea of complexity — and to drown in desperate-seeming solutions for problems that don’t actually exist. (And that , ahem, is putting it nicely .) But perhaps not surprisingly, it’s the simple improvements to basic productivity challenges that tend to have the most genuine, lasting impact on our day-to-day lives. The perfect example, for me, is a teensy-seeming touch Google added into Android specifically for its own Pixel devices a couple years back. It’s a barely-noticed extra option that appears anytime you capture a screenshot that lets you set an on-the-fly reminder around whatever’s on your screen — effectively turning any screenshot into an instant memo that returns to demand your attention whenever the time’s right. There’s no fancy-schmancy AI involved, nor are there any invisible “agents” fumbling around and trying to perform tasks on your behalf. It’s just a simple system for swiftly setting a memo to yourself and knowing it’ll come back when you need it. The problem is that this power is limited only to Google’s more recent Pixel devices — via the 2024-era Pixel Screenshots app — and that leaves a good chunk of our Android-appreciating amigos out in the cold. Today, at long last, I’ve got an answer — one that’s actually a nice little practical upgrade for any Pixel owners in addition to being a completely new capability for everyone else. [Don’t stop here: Come check out my free Android Intelligence newsletter for three new things to try in your inbox every Friday — and my Android Notification Power-Pack as a special welcome bonus!] Your Android screenshot memo upgrade First, let me back up a sec to say: This solution is a looooooooong time coming. I’ve been trying to work up a method to emulate Google’s easy memo-making magic in a way that’d work for everyone ever since its arrival on the 2024 Pixel 9 devices — because it really has become such an indispensable option for me and is hands-down the Android feature I rely on more than any other recent addition. Replicating the AI sorting element of the Pixel Screenshots system is easy enough , but that’s not the part that’s actually most useful. (Simple, remember?) And while I’ve come up with some roundabout ways to recreate the memo function before, they’re inevitably either overly complex or inherently limited in how much info they actually save and resurface. Recently, though, a crafty developer came up with an app that gives us the missing piece of the puzzle. It’s called Shots Studio , and if you aren’t using a Pixel phone — or you’re using a Pixel that came out before the Pixel 9 — it’s well worth your while to download. And, as I alluded to a moment ago, it adds some interesting new touches into the equation that may make it worthwhile even for recent Pixel owners to consider. At its core, Shots Studio is essentially a recreation of the Pixel Screenshots app — only with even more flexibility and, of course, a framework that works on any device, no matter who made it or how old it might be. It’s completely free to use, with optional donations to support the developer if you’re ever so inspired. And there really isn’t much to getting it up and running: First, install Shots Studio onto whatever Android device you’re using. Open ‘er up and follow the prompts to grant the app the permissions it needs to operate. Shots Studio needs access to your photos and storage in order to see and work with your screenshots, and it needs the ability to send you notifications to — y’know, notify you when a new memo comes due. The app is clear about the fact that it doesn’t store or share any sort of personal data, and it’s entirely open source, too, so anyone with the right know-how can peek directly into its code to confirm what it is and isn’t doing. Next, the app will ask what AI provider — if any — you want to use for processing and analyzing your screenshots as you capture ’em. Personally, I’d start with the “OCR Only” (no AI) path. It’s the simplest path forward, and it still allows you to do all the memo-making stuff that matters and just limits the auto-screenshot-categorizing elements that you probably won’t end up using often, anyway. You can always go back into the app’s settings later if you decide to rethink that. And — well, that’s pretty much it. Now, anytime you capture a screenshot — by pressing your phone’s physical power and volume-down buttons together or using whatever other method you prefer — just tap the share icon that pops up on your screen as a part of the confirmation, then look for Shots Studio in the list of options that appears. Capturing a screenshot (left) and then sharing it to Shots Studio (right) is all it takes to get a memo going. JR Raphael, Foundry To make it even easier, I’d suggest pinning Shots Studio to the top of your Android sharing menu so it’s always right there and ready when you take that step — no swiping, scrolling, or hunting required. While your actual screenshot will automatically appear within Shots Studio no matter what, that simple sharing step will take you directly into the app’s screenshot processing interface right after you’ve captured it. And that’s key to the next step in this fun little adventure. The Shots Studio screenshot memo interface is where the real magic begins. JR Raphael, Foundry From there, y’see, all you’ve gotta do is touch that clock icon along the bottom edge of the screen — aaaaand, poof: Creating a memo from a screenshot takes maybe 20 seconds, max. JR Raphael, Foundry You can now create your instant memo around whatever was on your screen — and set it to reappear as a notification on whatever day and time you want. The app has some handy one-tap quick options for common times, or you can use the date and time selection tool to find any ol’ moment you need. What’s especially nice about this approach is that it also gives you the option to create your own custom memo on top of whatever’s visible in the screenshot — which is a really helpful way to add in extra context and info for your future self about why, exactly, that screenshot is going to be relevant again (if the screenshot itself isn’t entirely self-explanatory). That’s something the Pixel Screenshots setup doesn’t allow and the interesting practical upgrade I mentioned a moment ago. Shots Studios’ screenshot memos are even richer than what Google’s Pixel Screenshots setup allows. JR Raphael, Foundry Whenever the day and time you selected arrives, your screenshot memo — and any additional info you left alongside it — will return as a simple ‘n’ straightforward can’t-miss notification. Your screenshot-associated memo — delivered. JR Raphael, Foundry That’s it! It’s simple and effective — and, if you’re anything like me, it’ll become a key ingredient of your Android productivity recipe in no time. Add even more gooey geeky goodness into your oven with my free Android Intelligence newsletter — three new things to try every Friday and my free Android Notification Power-Pack today.