Google Discontinues Popular App: What Users Will Soon Have to Say Goodbye To

Google is set to discontinue one of its highly useful apps, Stack, which has been a go-to solution for digitizing documents for many users.

This announcement comes from Google's press release stating that Stack will be discontinued on September 23rd. This move marks the end of an era for users who have relied on Stack's efficient document digitization and organization capabilities. 

Launched in March 2021, Stack was developed within Google's in-house incubator, Area 120. The app offered an array of convenient features that made it an invaluable tool for users needing to digitize and manage their documents. Users could capture documents with their smartphones, convert them into PDFs, and then sort them either automatically or manually. 

One of the standout features of Stack was its ability to highlight critical information such as total amounts or due dates within documents. This capability made it easier for users to keep track of important details without having to sift through entire documents manually. Stack's automated classification system could recognize various types of documents and assign them to the appropriate categories, enhancing organization and accessibility. These features collectively simplified users' workflows and contributed to Stack's popularity as a document management tool.

Transition to Google Drive

The discontinuation of Stack is primarily due to the integration of its most crucial features into Google Drive. Google's announcement highlights that the essential functions of Stack, such as document scanning and PDF conversion, are now available within Google Drive. However, it's important to note that not all of Stack's unique features have been seamlessly integrated into Google Drive. This means that while users can still perform basic document digitization tasks with Google Drive, they might miss some of the specific functionalities that made Stack stand out.

While Google Drive's PDF scanner now handles many of the tasks that Stack used to perform, users may notice the absence of certain specific features. For instance, Stack's intelligent document recognition and automatic categorization were particularly useful for managing a variety of document types effortlessly. Users appreciated the ability to quickly access critical information highlighted within documents, a feature that may not be fully replicated in Google Drive.