Just in time for tax season, Google has released a new app called Stack for Android devices. Stack is functionally similar to a Microsoft app called Lens, which was originally released for use with Windows phones, but has since found a home on the Play Store.
The purpose of the app is to help get (and keep) users organized.
You can scan your bills and receipts with the app, which automatically crops and sharpens them. Stack also uses text scanning capabilities that very much play to Google's core strengths to single out important details like due dates and total amounts due. It can even categorize and organize your paperwork into similar groups called, predictably enough, stacks.
As with Google's search engine, the Stack app's organizational capabilities are impressive, but they're not perfect. So the app will undoubtedly make a mistake here and there. Even given this, however, it's a fantastic and free way you can keep your important papers organized, which will make things much easier when it comes time to file those annual taxes.
Even better, it's got a backup function that's tied to Google's cloud drive service, so if you have an account, you won't ever have to worry about losing track of your receipts. If they somehow vanish from your phone, you'll be able to pull copies of what you need from your cloud drive.
Best of all, the little app is surprisingly secure. You can augment that even further by enabling biometric sign-in on the phone, so that no one can access your documents unless they scan your fingerprint in.
It's a good app, and well worth downloading and experimenting with. Kudos to Google for offering up something genuinely useful, especially at this time of year when tax preparation efforts are giving a great many people heartburn and headaches. Download your copy from the Play Store today.
About the Author
Marty Parker
Owner & General Manager
Marty is the Owner and General Manager of Heritage Digital. Marty has managed and built high-performing IT teams for over 30 years. He served 13 years in the manufacturing industry and 13 years in corporate-owned healthcare organizations. Before acquiring Heritage Digital, Marty was the Chief Information Officer of Carolinas Hospital System (now MUSC Health Florence Medical Center) in Florence, SC. Marty is passionate about educating and protecting people against cybercriminals.
