- Google adds gestures searching for its Google Lens feature
- The update is coming to Chrome and Google -Apps on iOS
- The company is also working on several AI capabilities for lens
If you are using Chrome or Google apps on your iPhone, there is now a new way to quickly find information based on what’s on your screen. If it works well, it may end up saving you time and making your searches a little easier.
The update concerns Google Lens, which allows you to search using images rather than words. Google says you can now use a gesture to choose something on the screen and then search for it. You can e.g. Draw an object or press it to select it. It works, whether you read an article, shop for something new or watch a video that Google explains.
The best iPhones have had a similar feature for a while, but it has always been an unofficial solution that required using the action button and the shortcut app. Now it is a built-in feature in some of the most popular iOS apps available.
Both Chrome and Google apps on iOS already have Google lens built -in, but the implementation of the past was a bit clunkier than today’s update. Before, you had to save a photo or take a screen shot and then upload it to Google Lens. It would potentially involve using multiple apps and was much more trouble. Now a quick gesture is all it takes.
How to use the new Google lens on iPhone
When using Chrome or Google apps, press the Three-Dot menu button and then select Search screen with Google Lens or Search this screenrespectively. This will put a colored overlay on top of the web page you are currently watching.
You will see a box at the bottom of your screen reading, “Circle or press anywhere to search.” You can now use a gesture to select a product on the screen. This will automatically search for the selected object using Google Lens.
The new gesture feature will be rolled globally this week and will be available in Chrome and Google apps on iOS. Google also confirmed that it will add a new lens icon to the app’s address bar in the future, which will give you another way to use movements in Google Lens.
Google added that it is also utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) to add new abilities to Lens. This will let it look up more new or unique topics and it will mean that Google’s AI listings appear more frequently in your results.
This feature will also be rolled out this week and will come to English-language users in nations where AI listings are available. Currently, it is set to arrive at the Google app for Android and iOS first, with Chrome Desktop and mobile accessibility that arrive later.
