Google is releasing a couple of new updates for Lens including a new Search Screen with Google Lens option in Google App and Chrome on iOS. If you have an iPhone, you’ll find a new Lens option that lets you select and search what’s on your screen. Plus, Google has announced that AI Overviews are coming to more Lens results.
With the new Lens update, one can simply search for whatever’s on their screen through drawing, highlighting, or tapping. “Whether you’re reading an article, shopping for a product, or watching a video, you can use this feature to quickly perform a visual search while browsing, without having to take a screenshot or open a new tab,” said Google. The feature works similarly to how Circle to Search works on Android.
To get started in Chrome, open the three-dot menu and select the option labelled ‘Search Screen with Google Lens’. In the coming months, you’ll also see a new Lens icon in the address bar to access the same feature. It works the same way in the Google app for iOS. Just tap the three-dot menu, choose “Search this Screen” and then select what you’d like to search. This update is rolling out this week and will be available globally on both Chrome and the Google app for iOS.
As for the second Lens update, with the help from Google’s advanced AI models, Lens can now “go much further and provide information on the contents of more novel or unique images.” For those kinds of queries, AI Overviews will begin to appear more often in your Lens results, with no need to add a question to your visual search.
Tap the camera icon in the Search bar to snap a photo with Lens and then you’ll get an AI Overview to help you quickly make sense of what you’re looking at, along with links to helpful resources on the web.
This update is rolling out this week for English-language users in countries where AI Overviews are available, starting with the Google app for Android and iOS, and coming soon to Chrome on desktop and mobile devices.