Google's new Journal app is Pixel 10 exclusive for now, but you can still check it out - here's how

You can practically count all the interesting things that come with the Pixel 10 series on one hand, and one of those things is the new Journal app. The app promises a more thoughtful approach to daily reflection, complete with AI-powered writing prompts, mood tracking, and personalized insights that help you process thoughts and track emotional patterns over time.

Unlike basic note-taking apps, Google’s Journal integrates deeply with your device to offer contextual suggestions. It can prompt you to write about specific moments, locations you’ve visited, or photos you’ve taken. The AI features work entirely on-device, keeping your personal thoughts private while providing intelligent writing inspiration and tracking how you’re feeling across different periods.

Think of it as Google’s answer to Apple’s Journal app, but with the company’s signature AI integration that adapts to your writing style and suggests topics based on your daily activities and mood patterns.

Here’s where things get complicated. Google has officially restricted the Journal app to Pixel 10 devices only, at least for now. The restriction comes from a specific feature flag called “PIXEL_2025_EXPERIENCE” that’s built into the app’s code, preventing direct installation from the Play Store on older Pixel devices.

But tech sleuth Assemble Debug spotted the app before its official launch and shared the APK files on his Telegram channel. According to his findings, while the app requires that 2025 feature flag for Play Store installation, the APK files can actually be installed on any device running Android 15 or higher.

The catch? Installing the APK on older devices gives you access to the basic journaling features, but the AI-powered capabilities remain locked away. These smart features likely depend on newer processing power that older Pixel devices can’t handle, particularly the enhanced AI Core that comes with more recent hardware.

I managed to get it up and running on a Pixel 8, and it seems to work just fine without any AI-powered features, at least in my brief testing.

Some users with custom ROMs report even better luck, with certain modified firmware already including the 2025 feature properties that allow direct Play Store downloads. But for most people with older Pixels, side-loading the APK represents the only current path to trying the app.

The exclusivity has stirred up familiar frustrations in Pixel communities. Some users remember how Pixel Screenshots and Pixel Studio remained locked to newer devices despite user demand. The pattern suggests Google either faces genuine technical limitations or uses app exclusivity as a sales driver for its latest hardware.

That said, for those who want to get their hands on the APK, you can visit this link to the GApps Leaks channel on Telegram. If you’re skeptical about the source, just note that Assemble Debug is currently part of the Android Authority team. If that doesn’t work for you, you can try checking out other sources like APK Mirror for the app.