Visual search engine Lens comes to all Google Photos users
What's the story
Google is officially rolling out Lens, the company's visual search engine, to its Google Photos app on all Android devices. So far, Google Lens was only available on the company's own Pixel phones, through Google Photos and the Google Assistant. The feature, which will come to iOS "soon," and is being rolled out in batches over the next couple of days.
Twitter Post
The official announcement
Rolling out today, Android users can try Google Lens to do things like create a contact from a business card or get more info about a famous landmark. To start, make sure you have the latest version of the Google Photos app for Android: https://t.co/KCChxQG6Qm
— Google Photos (@googlephotos) March 5, 2018
Coming soon to iOS pic.twitter.com/FmX1ipvN62
Concept
Carry out an image search with Lens for keyword-less queries
Google Lens can recognize what's in your images and then directly search the web for more information on it. For example, if you are standing in front of a monument you don't know about in a new city, you can take its picture and Google Lens will show you useful information about it, including its history and opening hours.
Details
Google Lens can also scan business cards
It can scan business cards and allow users to save a contact through it. Basically, through Lens, you can search for information with a visual reference and identify landmarks, a dog's breed or a flower type. Certain flagship phones from Samsung, Huawei, LG, Motorola, Sony, and Nokia will also eventually receive Lens capabilities on Google Assistant, which is currently only present on Pixel phones.
Information
This is Google Lens' first major expansion
Marking Google Lens' first major expansion, Google Lens Senior Director of Product Aparna Chennapragada said that Lens is designed to make sense of the visual world. She added that Google's visual search function will eventually be able to identify and annotate all objects.