Google Lens for Android revamped with compact interface and other tweaks

Abner Li | Dec 15 2018 - 1:25 am PT

Google Lens rolled out to the Google app for iOS at the beginning of this week. As part of that availability, the visual search experience for Android also received a number of tweaks to optimize the interface in both Google Assistant and Google Photos.

The latest Google Lens design is highlighted by the feature’s name being prominently displayed at the top of the viewfinder between the flash and gallery import buttons in Assistant. That logo also appears in Google Photos, and is persistent throughout the analysis process.

It replaces the icon and logo in the top sheet of results, with Google Lens now using that space to immediately note the identified or selected result. Ratings — when relevant — are displayed just above the fold.

This is part of a new compact design that leverages shorter pill-shaped buttons for the carousel of shortcuts to perform a search, open Maps, call, and visit an associated website. When available, Wikipedia snippets with a small summary and image appear below. At the bottom of every result, users can provide the standard yes/no feedback on whether results are useful.

: Previous Assistant

: Current Assistant

: Previous Photos

: Current Photos

Another big change is to the Smart Text Selection feature from I/O 2018. When users select text in an image, the floating toolbar no longer pops up above the highlight. The blue selection aids still appear to the left and right, but buttons are now located on the bottom sheet.

This is likely to minimize disruption in the camera viewfinder, while making sure actions for copying, searching, and translating are always located at the bottom of the screen on larger devices. Meanwhile, selected text is also noted at the top of the sheet.

These visual tweaks and new features for Google Lens are now widely rolling out on Android via a server-side update. This revamp follows Google Assistant testing its own redesign with a more condensed interface, the updated Discover rolling out, and the Material Theme for mobile web Search.