Google Lens Stories September 2
Google recently redesigned Lens to prioritize screenshot analysis over live capture. Google Lens is now seeing a Material You flourish and even more prominent placement on Android.
Google Lens Stories August 10
Over the weekend, the new Google Assistant on Pixel phone started losing its original translucent UI. The design that replaced it is now appearing on other (non-NGA) Android devices with minor tweaks – a shorter panel – and greater emphasis on Lens.
Google Lens Stories August 5
Google Chrome for desktop is set to gain a handy screenshot tool, complete with Google Lens integration, which should replace screenshot extensions.
Update: The Google Lens integration is now live in pre-release builds of Chrome.
Last week, Google started running ads on TikTok that promote several aspects of Google Lens, as well as Hum to Search. The clear goal of these five TikTok videos is to raise awareness about newer Google features that people might not have used before.
Google Lens Stories July 20
In a significant expansion, Google is bringing its Lens visual search tool to the desktop web via the Chrome browser.
Google Lens Stories July 12
Google is rolling out a redesign of the dedicated Lens app on Android that greatly de-emphasizes the live viewfinder. Rather, the focus is now on analyzing existing images and screenshots in your camera roll.
Google Lens Stories July 10
Lens will be an important part of Google’s augmented reality future, but it’s one of the harder products to get people to continually use. That’s not due to a lack of trying on the company’s part, but the latest effort takes the form of straightforward online ads for Google Lens.
Google Lens Stories July 2
Lens will only become more important going forward, but Google’s challenge in the meantime is raising awareness about its extensive set of capabilities. Some tweaks to Google Lens now aim to simplify how visual search works.
Google Lens Stories June 9
Google Lens Stories June 7
Google’s biggest consumer-facing augmented reality offerings today are Lens and Live View in Maps. At WWDC 2021, Apple announced it was planning to go after those two features with iOS 15 this fall.
Google Lens Stories April 29
For a few months now, Chrome for Android has had an easy shortcut to search for an image you find online using Google Lens. Now it seems Chrome for Android may be gaining more handy Google Lens shortcuts.
Update 4/29: This feature has begun to roll out in Chrome Beta for Android.
Google Lens Stories April 26
Google Lens has begun to appear in the Pixel Launcher’s search bar side-by-side with the Google Assistant, in a new test.
Google Lens Stories April 23
When taking screenshots in Android 11+, a preview appears in the bottom-left corner for quick sharing or editing. A translate suggestion from Google Lens now also appears here on applicable screen captures.
Google Lens Stories April 11
Besides being its own app, Google Lens is also available in Image Search, Photos, and integrated across Android. Google is now bringing Lens to the desktop web inside Google Photos for convenient text copying through optical character recognition (OCR).
Google Lens Stories April 1
Even after trawling through almost all aspects of the recent Android 12 Developer Preview, things slip the net. One of those looks to be the long-overdue addition of a Google Lens translate option within the Android recent apps panel.
Google Lens Stories March 21
Google Lens has long been part of Google Photos to help you visually search images. On Android, Google Lens is now a more prominent part of Photos by identifying what pictures would benefit from the analysis and search tool.
Google Lens Stories March 18
Since it was announced in 2017, Google’s visual search tool has seen two (live) logos. Google Lens is now getting a third logo that better reflects how it’s a camera for looking up things in the real world.
Google Lens Stories March 17
From Maps Live View to 3D Animals and other models in Search, Google’s current work in augmented reality is focused on phones. The other big investment is Google Lens, with it emerging today that the product is losing lead Aparna Chennapragada to Robinhood.
Google Lens Stories March 16
The Google Lens app today is geared towards analyzing live images in real-time, but a new gallery view makes it easier to sift through screenshots and other pictures already in your camera roll.
Google Lens Stories January 25
Since last year, Google has been working on letting you perform translations in its visual search tool without an internet connection. Google Lens is now rolling out offline translate on Android.
Google Lens Stories January 22
Lens closed out last year with a Pixel Camera-inspired redesign and more shortcuts in other apps to launch the visual search tool. Google is now testing a new Lens icon that better communicates its functionality.
Google Lens Stories January 20
Google Lens passes 500 million installs on the Play Store
Another core Google app has now reached the 500-million install milestone on the Google Play Store – this time, it’s the turn of Lens.
Google Lens Stories October 15, 2020
Whether looking through your camera or browsing images on the web, Google Lens is a great way to learn more about what’s visible in a photo. Today, the Google app and Chrome for Android are gaining an easy way to search almost any image through Google Lens.
Google Lens Stories October 7, 2020
Google Lens has long been tied to Assistant on Android, while iOS users have access to it as part of Search. The Google app on Android is now testing a prominent Lens shortcut.
Google Lens Stories September 11, 2020
Back in June, we enabled a Google Camera-inspired redesign of Google Lens. It’s now rolling out to some Google app beta users on Android.
Google Lens Stories August 11, 2020
For the past several weeks, we’ve been tracking a math solver for Google’s visual search tool. Today, the Google Lens “Homework” filter was officially detailed and it covers more than just equations.
Google Lens Stories August 3, 2020
Google Lens adds ‘Places’ filter as Podcasts player tests queue swiping
Updated via the Google app, Lens and Podcasts recently picked up some new features. The visual search tool gains a “Places” filter, while Podcasts makes switching to the next episode somewhat faster.
Google Lens Stories July 24, 2020
Earlier this month, we spotted Google’s keyboard for Android working on automatic dark/light themes. Those using the Gboard 9.6 beta are now encountering another feature that we previously enabled: Google Lens integration.
Google Lens Stories July 20, 2020
On Android and iOS, you can point Google Lens at a street sign or document to have it translated and read aloud. Google is now bringing Lens to smart feature phones running KaiOS in India.
Google Lens Stories June 30, 2020
While there was no I/O this year, Google still launched a number of new features for its visual search tool in May. Google is now working on a Lens redesign for Android that adds several new capabilities.
Google Lens Stories May 18, 2020
Google tests Lens shortcut in Images search bar on Android
On Android, Google’s visual search tool can primarily be accessed from the homescreen or through Assistant. Google Lens is now testing a shortcut in Image Search.
Google Lens Stories May 7, 2020
Last May, Google announced and rolled out a major redesign of its visual search tool. Google Lens is now adding three productivity-focused features, including Search results from the web and a “Copy to computer” shortcut.
Google Lens Stories May 1, 2020
OnePlus Gallery v3.11.2 adds a handy Google Lens shortcut
The latest version 3.11.2 update for the OnePlus Gallery has now added a handy shortcut for Google Lens.
Google Lens Stories April 28, 2020
The last major redesign of Google Lens introduced Dining and Translate filters, while Text (OCR), Shopping, and Auto became explicit modes. The visual search tool could soon pick up the ability to solve math problems.
Google Lens Stories April 12, 2020
Google Lens was announced at I/O 2017 as a way to visually search the world and receive help. As the tool integrated into Assistant, Photos, and Search approaches its third birthday, Google looks to be testing a new Lens logo.
Google Lens Stories March 12, 2020
NYT Magazine using Google Lens to add easy sharing, interactivity
The latest iteration of Google Lens has filters for translation, finding food, and shopping. Another big part of the company’s visual search tool is integration with magazines, billboards, and other print advertising to make it easier to get more information. The latest example of that is a Google Lens partnership with the NYT Magazine.
Google Lens Stories March 8, 2020
At I/O 2019, Google Lens gained the ability to analyze a physical restaurant menu and flag popular dishes. This Lens menu capability is now integrated right into Google Maps.
Google Lens Stories October 24, 2019
Google’s love of Easter Eggs is unmatched and this year the hardware team is getting in on the action. Taking Google Lens to the back of the Pixel 4’s retail packaging reveals an AR greeting to buyers.
Google Lens Stories October 3, 2019
Following the website and mobile apps, the new Google Shopping is officially available in the U.S. This is Google’s new unified service for product lookup and delivery, with Google Lens also picking up a “style ideas” feature today.
Google Lens Stories September 18, 2019
Over the weekend, we spotted and enabled a new “Smart Screenshot” tool in the Google app beta. It’s now live for some users and delivers a more useful experience that adds powerful Google Lens integration.
Google Lens Stories September 12, 2019
At I/O 2019 in May, Google updated Lens to be a portal to augmented reality experiences. Pointing Google Lens at a painting in a museum could bring more information about the artwork, while there are already AR ads from Stranger Things and Cyberbunk 2077. The latest example of Google Lens AR is for groceries in supermarkets.
Google Lens Stories August 23, 2019
With Google Lens, you can search by pointing your camera at the real world and access useful “filters” to copy or translate text. The visual lookup feature also happens to work in virtual reality as a cool demo this week revealed.
Google Lens Stories August 21, 2019
When browsing the web, sometimes you’ll come across an image that you want to know a bit more about, and one of the best ways to do that is through Google Lens. As it stands, you need to save the image to your phone, switch to Google Lens, and scan the image that way. Soon, you’ll be able to share an image directly to Google Lens from Chrome for Android.
Google Lens Stories August 20, 2019
‘Cyberpunk 2077’ ads get Google Lens AR integration for Gamescom
The biggest news from yesterday’s Stadia Connect was that one of the most highly anticipated games of 2020, Cyberpunk 2077, is coming to the Google Stadia game-streaming platform. As of today, advertisements for Cyberpunk 2077 are now integrating with Google Lens to offer an AR experience.
Google Lens Stories August 9, 2019
Many of the Google Lens features announced at I/O 2019 have launched. This includes the redesign of Google’s visual search feature with Dining and Translate filters, and an AR experience. You can now try out the Google Lens AR experiences below.
Google Lens Stories July 11, 2019
In addition to new Dining and Translate filters, a big part of this year’s Google Lens revamp is overlaying the virtual world on top of the real one. Google today is showcasing those augmented reality capabilities in a big way with Stranger Things 3.
Google Lens Stories July 2, 2019
Google Lens is a great tool for learning more about the world around you, and it’s constantly getting better. Thanks to a new partnership, Google Lens is about to improve when it comes to identifying local art, at least if you live in San Francisco.
Google Lens Stories June 11, 2019
Since I/O 2019, Google has launched a slew of augmented reality features from new Lens capabilities to 3D animals in Search. A previously announced Lens integration with the de Young museum in San Francisco is now also live.
