What Is Google Lens, and How Do You Use It?

3 months ago 61
Joe Fedewa / How-To Geek

Google Lens is an representation and substance designation app that uses Google Search to present results based connected what it sees successful photos.

You’ve astir apt seen the colorful camera icon successful the Google Search barroom oregon the Google app. It’s an unassuming shortcut that leads to a assortment of awesome abilities. This is Google Lens, and it’s a Google app you should know.

What Is Google Lens?

Google Lens is astir easy described arsenic the ocular constituent of Google Search. You typically bash Google Searches with substance queries, but Google Lens uses images and your camera arsenic input. It identifies things successful images—such arsenic QR codes, plants, text, and products—then delivers accusation oregon hunt results related to the entity oregon text.

Long-time smartphone users whitethorn retrieve an app called “Google Goggles.” It was launched successful 2010, and it was 1 of our archetypal looks astatine what representation designation bundle could bash with the cameras we were starting to transportation astir with america everywhere. Goggles was the precursor to Google Lens.

Google Lens was officially launched successful 2017 and pre-installed connected the Pixel 2 smartphone. Since then, Lens has dilatory crept into much and much Google services: Google Assistant, Google Search, and Google Photos. Google Lens volition besides beryllium integrated with the company’s AI chatbot, Google Bard.

RELATED: 20 Classic Smartphone Apps: Where Are They Now?

What Does Google Lens Do?

Google Lens features.

Google Lens fundamentally lets you bash Google Searches by simply pointing your camera astatine things. What it tin bash with what it sees is beauteous amazing. Google Lens tin archer you a batch much than conscionable what you’re looking at.

Got a mathematics equation that you can’t fig out? Don’t fuss typing the full happening into your calculator—point Google Lens astatine it. See immoderate substance successful the existent satellite that you don’t consciousness similar manually typing? Snap a photograph and fto Google Lens transcript it for you. Find a weird bug successful your backyard that you’re not definite about? Google Lens tin place it for you.

These are conscionable immoderate of the elemental things you tin bash with Google Lens. It tin besides work substance from the existent satellite outload, construe text, hunt the web for an representation you found, and archer you wherever to bargain thing you spot retired successful the world. It’s beauteous darn cool.

RELATED: Why You Should Be Using Google Lens: 7 Awesome Uses

How to Use Google Lens

Google Lens is disposable successful the Google app for iPhone, iPad, and Android—simply pat the colorful camera icon successful the hunt bar. In a desktop browser specified arsenic Google Chrome oregon Microsoft Edge, you tin usage Lens by clicking the icon successful the hunt barroom connected google.com.

How to Use Google Lens connected iPhone & Android

To usage Google Lens connected the iPhone, iPad, and Android, unfastened the Google app and pat the colorful camera icon connected the close broadside of the hunt bar.

Next, you tin take from antithetic functions nether the shutter fastener earlier pointing your camera astatine an entity oregon substance and snapping a photo.

Choose 1  of the Lens hunt  modes.

You tin besides usage photos you already took from the conception nether the viewfinder for Lens searches.

Choose a photograph  you already took.

That’s however casual it is to usage Google Lens! If you person an Android phone, you whitethorn besides beryllium capable to usage Lens straight from 1 of the aggregate modes successful the camera app.

How to Use Google Lens connected Desktop

To usage Google Lens connected the web, successful a desktop browser specified arsenic Google Chrome oregon Microsoft Edge, archetypal caput to Google.com and pat the colorful camera icon connected the close broadside of the hunt bar.

Google Lens connected  google.com

Next, you tin either resistance a photograph into the box, browse for a photograph connected your device, oregon paste a nexus to a photo.

Upload a photo.

Now you tin prime substance successful the image, spot visually akin images, oregon click “Find the Image Source” to effort and find wherever the representation originated from.

Lens reverse representation  search.

Google Lens connected the web is overmuch much constricted than the mobile apps. It’s bully for reverse representation searches, but not overmuch more.


Google has assorted hunt products that chiefly absorption connected substance and dependable searches. Google Assistant has immoderate overlap with Google Lens, but it’s inactive chiefly astir dependable and text. Google Lens is the go-to erstwhile it comes to searching with images.

RELATED: Why You Should Be Using Google Lens: 7 Awesome Uses

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