Google has a new document scanner app that automatically categorizes your scanned documents. Stack, as it is called, also has a security feature that allows you to lock your documents which can then be accessed with your fingerprint or via face unlock.
Stack is the new product out of Google’s Area 120, its workshop for experimental products that are designed to solve everyday problems. Some of Area 120’s products include Google News, the Cardboard VR headset, and Grasshopper, an app that teaches you how to code using quizzes.
The new app borrows the technology that powers Google’s DocAI enterprise tool which is used for document analysis. The Verge reports that Stack was built by Christopher Pedregal and Matthew Cowan who built the Socratic educational app now owned by Google.
By using Google’s biometric authentication built into Android, Slack can allow uses lock documents that can then be accessed using a registered fingerprint or face. The AI features will automatically sort scanned files and documents into different categories. It can also identify key information on a scanned document such as a due date for a bill, amount to be paid, or an account number. Users can also search through scanned documents to find information they need.
Becuase Slack is an experimental app, there is a possibility that Google may kill it if it doesn’t catch on. They may also integrate it into an existing app or service. However, this looks like an app that several users will find useful.
At the moment, Stack seems to be only available to those in the US via the Play Store. However, if you can grab the APK from a trusted source, you can sideload it to see if it works.
