Google is testing Memory, an upgrade for Assistant to ‘save and find everything’

Google is reportedly working on a new feature for Assistant called Memory, a combination of a to-do list, a notes app, a Pocket-like reading list, and Pinterest-style collection board into a single overarching digital locker integrated into the broader Google Assistant app. 9to5Google first revealed the feature, which is currently in “dogfood” testing for Google employees.

According to 9to5Google, Memory can save a huge variety of content, including “articles, books, contacts, events, flights, hotels, images, movies, music, notes, photos, places, playlists, products, recipes, reminders, restaurants, screenshots, shipments, TV shows, videos, and websites.”

While Assistant already has a Memory feature for saving information (like a bike lock combination or a favorite flavor of cake), the new iteration of Memory appears to be a major upgrade, one that seems to integrate the “Collections” feature that preceded it and be given top billing on the main menu bar alongside Assistant’s daily snapshot view.

The idea is that you’ll be able to save nearly anything, including links or screenshots, pictures of objects or handwritten notes, or digital to-do lists or reminders. Memory will then let you search, sort, and revisit everything you’ve saved.

Depending on what you’re saving, Memory will also include contextual information: save a recipe, for instance, and it’ll show the cooking time. Save a movie you wanted to watch, and it’ll include a link to the trailer. And of course, Google-based items you save (like Google Docs or uploaded Drive files) will get customized preview cards.

To store things to Memory, users can either use a Google Assistant command or a newly added home screen shortcut. Once added to Memory, saved items can be tagged (with categories like “Important” or “Read Later”) as well as sorted or searched to find a specific item.

Memory is still being tested, and Google hasn’t announced any plans for when — or even if — it’ll receive a public debut. In a statement to The Verge, a Google spokesperson commented: “We are constantly iterating and experimenting with new ways to improve the user experience, but we have no further details to share at this time.”