5 simple ways to access Google Lens on your Android or iPhone

Don’t miss out on one of Google’s most useful tools

Source: Google

Google Lens feels like a glimpse of the futuristic technology promised by popular media for decades. Touting AI visual recognition powered by neural networks, this tool can look at saved photos and the display from your live camera and offer information about what it sees. Anyone passing on Lens is missing out on one of Google’s most valuable services.

The good news is that many of the best Android phones come with this software already integrated. You can even use it on your iPhone and iPad if you download the Google Lens app. It’s a great idea to learn more about what Google Lens can do and how to use it, but for now, let’s look at what it is and how to enable the feature on your phone.

Google Lens: A quick overview

Google Lens is a software developed using machine learning technology for AI visual recognition. Essentially, Lens can look at saved pictures or your live camera feed and compare what it sees against Google’s image database. The result is a tool that can offer helpful information about whatever might be displayed on your device’s screen.

There are a lot of neat features that Lens currently supports. You might be surprised by how useful it can be, from translating text to identifying plants and animals. There are also several ways in which you can activate it.

1. How to use Google Lens in the native Android app

Using the Google Lens app is the most consistent way to access the tool. This is the recommended approach for both Androids and iPhones.

1. Download and open the Google Lens app.

2. Accept Permissions for access to your camera and saved photos.

3. To use Lens with your live camera, tap the camera icon.
4. To use Lens with a saved photo, scroll through your photos and select one.

You don’t necessarily need to have the Lens app downloaded to use Lens on Android, but we’d still encourage you to download it for ease of use. The Google Lens isn’t limited to the app. If you’d rather use the integrated Lens options in other apps, read on to see a few of the best ways to do so.

2. How to use Google Lens in Google Photos app for Android and iPhone

Google Photos is the default photo storage app on most Android devices and generally houses the Lens feature. Apple devices need to download Google Photos and back up the relevant pictures to prompt Lens in this way.

1. Open Google Photos and select the photo of interest.
2. Tap the Lens icon in the lower right corner.

3. How to use Google Lens in the Google app for Android and iOS

The Google app is another good option for accessing Lens on various devices. Again, this app comes pre-installed on most Androids, but iPhone or iPad owners will need to download it from the App Store.

1. Open the Google app.
2. Tap the Lens icon on the right side of the search bar.

4. How to use Google Lens in your Android’s camera app

The Google Lens feature is enabled by default in the camera app on most Android phones. You’ll need to check if the Lens icon is displayed in the app, as shown below.

1. Open the Camera app and tap the Lens icon in the lower left corner.
2. In some app versions, you will need to tap Modes and select the Lens icon.

5. How to use Google Lens via Google Assistant

Google Assistant is a convenient way to activate Lens on Android devices. You may want to take some time to learn about Google Assistant if you’re unfamiliar with it.

1. Vocally prompt or tap the app icon for Google Assistant.
2. Say Use Google Lens or tap the keyboard icon in the lower right and type the same command.

Learn more about the world around you

Whether you’re embarking on an international adventure or just walking around the neighborhood, Google Lens can help you explore the world around you. Don’t hesitate to make use of Google’s cutting-edge digital tool.