What Is Google Lens, and How Do You Use It?
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Key Takeaways
Google Lens is an image and text recognition app that uses Google Search to deliver results based on what it sees in photos.
You've probably seen the colorful camera icon in the Google Search bar or the Google app. It's an unassuming shortcut that leads to a variety of impressive abilities. This is Google Lens, and it's a Google app you should know.
What Is Google Lens?
Google Lens is most easily described as the visual component of Google Search. You typically do Google Searches with text queries, but Google Lens uses images and your camera as input. It identifies things in images---such as QR codes, plants, text, and products---then delivers information or search results related to the object or text.
Long-time smartphone users may remember an app called "Google Goggles." It was launched in 2010, and it was one of our first looks at what image recognition software could do with the cameras we were starting to carry around with us everywhere. Goggles was the precursor to Google Lens.
Google Lens was officially launched in 2017 and pre-installed on the Pixel 2 smartphone. Since then, Lens has slowly crept into more and more Google services: Google Assistant, Google Search, and Google Photos. Google Lens will also be integrated with the company's AI chatbot, Google Bard.
What Does Google Lens Do?
Google Lens essentially lets you do Google Searches by simply pointing your camera at things. What it can do with what it sees is pretty amazing. Google Lens can tell you a lot more than just what you're looking at.
Got a math equation that you can't figure out? Don't bother typing the whole thing into your calculator---point Google Lens at it. See some text in the real world that you don't feel like manually typing? Snap a photo and let Google Lens copy it for you. Find a weird bug in your backyard that you're not sure about? Google Lens can identify it for you.
These are just some of the simple things you can do with Google Lens. It can also read text from the real world outload, translate text, search the web for an image you found, and tell you where to buy something you see out in the world. It's pretty darn cool.
How to Use Google Lens
Google Lens is available in the Google app for iPhone, iPad, and Android---simply tap the colorful camera icon in the search bar. In a desktop browser such as Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge, you can use Lens by clicking the icon in the search bar on google.com.
How to Use Google Lens on iPhone & Android
To use Google Lens on the iPhone, iPad, and Android, open the Google app and tap the colorful camera icon on the right side of the search bar.
Next, you can choose from different functions under the shutter button before pointing your camera at an object or text and snapping a photo.
You can also use photos you already took from the section under the viewfinder for Lens searches.
That's how easy it is to use Google Lens! If you have an Android phone, you may also be able to use Lens directly from one of the multiple modes in the camera app.
How to Use Google Lens on Desktop
To use Google Lens on the web, in a desktop browser such as Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge, first head to Google.com and tap the colorful camera icon on the right side of the search bar.
Next, you can either drag a photo into the box, browse for a photo on your device, or paste a link to a photo.
Now you can select text in the image, see visually similar images, or click "Find the Image Source" to try and find where the image originated from.
Google Lens on the web is much more limited than the mobile apps. It's good for reverse image searches, but not much more.
Google has various search products that mainly focus on text and voice searches. Google Assistant has some overlap with Google Lens, but it's still mainly about voice and text. Google Lens is the go-to when it comes to searching with images.
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