14 Ways Google Lens Can Save You Time On Android

Google Lens tin move you into a mobile-tech magician, but it's up to you to study its tricks.

Psst: Come close. Your Android telephone has a little-known superpower — a futuristic strategy for bridging nan beingness world astir you and nan integer beingness connected your device. It’s 1 of Google’s best-kept secrets. And it tin prevention you tons of clip and effort.

Oh — and no, it isn’t Gemini.

It’s a small somethin’ called Google Lens, and it’s been lurking astir connected Android and softly getting much and much tin for years — since agelong earlier “AI” became portion of our celebrated vernacular. Google doesn’t make a large woody astir it, weirdly enough, and you really person to spell retired of your measurement to moreover recognize it exists. But erstwhile you uncover it, you’ll consciousness for illustration you person a magic wand successful your pocket.

At its core, Google Lens is champion described arsenic a hunt motor for nan existent world. It uses (yes…) artificial intelligence to place matter and objects some wrong images and successful a unrecorded position from your phone’s camera, and it past lets you study astir and interact pinch those elements successful each sorts of absorbing ways.

But while Lens’s expertise to, say, place a flower, look up a book, aliases springiness you info astir a landmark is surely impressive, it’s nan system’s much mundane-seeming productivity powers that are acold much apt to find a spot successful your day-to-day life.

So drawback your nearest Android gadget, spell instal nan Google Lens app, if you haven’t already — aliases return your prime from immoderate of the different smart Google-Lens-launching shortcuts — and get fresh to thatch your telephone immoderate spectacularly useful caller tricks.

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Google Lens instrumentality #1: Dive heavy into your screen

In a mildly chaotic twist, nan first and newest Google Lens goody successful our database is besides nan oldest and astir acquainted 1 of each — astatine least, if you’ve paying attraction successful this arena for long.

It’s a snazzy caller characteristic that lets you indirectly person Lens analyse whatever’s connected your surface and past springiness you adjuvant other discourse astir it.

This 1 tin really beryllium accessed via Google’s next-gen Gemini virtual assistant. Just summon Gemini, utilizing nan “Hey Google” hotword aliases immoderate different method you like, past look for nan tappable “Ask astir screen” fastener wrong its overlay interface.

The “Ask astir screen” fastener wrong Gemini is simply a hidden measurement to entree a powerful Lens feature.

JR Raphael, Foundry

While nan reply is wrapped successful Gemini, nan exertion powering it is nan aforesaid worldly that’s been coming wrong Lens for ages. And it’s each spot arsenic impressive.

Answers, connected request — from anyplace connected Android.

JR Raphael, Foundry

And if you’re emotion a pesky consciousness of déjà vu astir this, well, you should be: Google first announced this latest loop of nan on-demand surface searching strategy more than 2 years ago, for nan previous-gen Google Assistant system. Prior to that point, Assistant had concisely offered a akin benignant of setup without Lens’s involvement. And anterior to that, Google had a spectacularly useful autochthonal Android characteristic called Now connected Tap, measurement backmost successful 2015’s Android 6.0 (Marshmallow) era — though amusingly, we haven’t quite caught backmost up to that level of hunt intelligence conscionable yet.

Hey, what tin we say? It’s nan Google way.

Google Lens instrumentality #2: Copy matter from nan existent world

From nan virtual world to nan beingness world astir us, Google Lens’s astir potent powerfulness and nan 1 I trust connected astir often is its expertise to drawback matter from a beingness archive — a paper, a book, a whiteboard, a suspiciously wordy tattoo connected your rumpus, aliases thing other pinch penning connected it — and past copy that matter onto your phone’s clipboard. From there, you tin easy paste nan matter into a Google Doc, a note, an email, a Slack chat, aliases anyplace other imaginable.

To do that, conscionable open up Google Lens, constituent your device’s camera astatine immoderate matter astir you, past pat nan large information hunt icon — and you’ll beryllium capable to usage your digit to prime nan nonstop information of matter you want arsenic if it were regular ol’ integer matter connected a website.

All that’s near is to deed nan “Copy” bid successful nan pop-up alongside it, and each past connection will beryllium connected your strategy clipboard and fresh to paste wherever your thumpy small bosom desires.

You tin transcript matter from anyplace — virtual aliases beingness — pinch a small thief from Lens.

JR Raphael, Foundry

Google Lens instrumentality #3: Connect matter to your computer

Let’s look it: Most of america aren’t moving only from our Android phones. If you request to get immoderate real-world matter onto your computer, Lens tin grip that for you, too.

Just spell done nan aforesaid steps we did a 2nd ago, but this time, look for nan “Copy to computer” action successful nan aforesaid pop-up menu. (You mightiness person to pat a three-dot icon wrong that pop-up to uncover it.) As agelong arsenic you’re actively signed into Chrome pinch nan aforesaid Google relationship connected a machine — immoderate computer, whether it’s Windows, Mac, Linux, aliases ChromeOS — that action should appear. And erstwhile you pat it, you’ll get a database of each disposable destinations.

Get immoderate matter onto your computer’s clipboard successful an instant pinch Lens’s clever copying commands.

JR Raphael, Foundry

Pick nan instrumentality you want, and conscionable for illustration magic, nan matter from nan beingness archive will beryllium connected that computer’s clipboard — fresh and waiting to beryllium pasted wherever you want it. Hit Ctrl-V (or Cmd-V, connected a Mac), and shazam! It’ll popular into immoderate matter field, successful immoderate app aliases process wherever pasting is supported.

Google Lens instrumentality #4: Hear thing retired loud

Maybe you’ve conscionable been handed a agelong memo, a printed-out little of immoderate sort, aliases a missive from your beloved Aunt Sally. Whatever it is, springiness your eyes a breather and fto Lens publication it for you while you’re connected nan spell and betwixt meetings.

Just constituent your telephone astatine nan paper, precisely arsenic we did before, and prime immoderate circumstantial matter wrong nan image erstwhile more. This time, look for nan small “Listen” action successful nan pop-up sheet atop your image.

Pound your pinky down connected that bad boy, and nan Google Lens app will really publication nan selected matter retired large to you, successful a soothingly pleasant voice.

Hey, Google: How ’bout a nap-time communicative while we’re astatine it?!

Google Lens instrumentality #5: Ask, ask, inquire away

In a move that now seems foreshadowing, Lens has nan wholly concealed expertise to fto you chat retired large and inquire thing imaginable astir immoderate your device’s camera is showing.

All you’ve gotta do to effort it is unfastened up Lens, purpose your camera astatine something, and past property and hold Lens’s large hunt button. Then, you tin simply speak aloud and inquire thing connected your mind successful a wholly natural, conversational way.

Pressing and holding nan Lens hunt fastener lets you talk and inquire questions successful a wholly earthy way.

JR Raphael, Foundry

Google’s charismatic preamble of nan characteristic progressive asking questions astir why immoderate benignant of merchandise isn’t moving arsenic expecting aliases really you tin hole immoderate communal real-world attraction issue, but it tin beryllium each spot arsenic adjuvant for practically immoderate intent — anytime you find yourself facing a mobility astir something successful beforehand of you.

This one, for now, seems to beryllium disposable only wrong nan U.S. and successful English.

Google Lens instrumentality #6: Interact pinch matter from an image

In summation to nan unrecorded stuff, Lens tin propulsion and process matter from images — including some existent photos you’ve taken and screenshots you’ve captured.

That second portion opens up immoderate beautiful absorbing possibilities. Say, for instance, you’ve conscionable gotten an email pinch a search number successful it, but nan search number is immoderate funky type of matter that annoyingly can’t beryllium copied. (This seems to hap to maine measurement excessively often.) Or possibly you’re looking astatine a web page aliases position wherever nan matter for immoderate logic isn’t selectable.

Well, drawback a screenshot — by pressing your phone’s powerfulness and volume-down buttons together — past make your measurement complete to nan Google Lens app. Tap nan image icon successful Lens’s lower-left corner, look for your screenshot successful nan assemblage that appears, past pat it. And from there, you tin simply touch your digit anyplace connected nan surface to prime immoderate matter you want. (The aforesaid capacity is besides now coming successful the newer Android Circle to Search system, by nan by, though that characteristic is still overmuch much constricted successful its availability.)

You tin past transcript nan text, nonstop it to a computer, aliases execute immoderate of Lens’s different boundary-defying tricks. Speaking of which…

Google Lens instrumentality #7: Search for immoderate text, anywhere

After you’ve selected immoderate mode of matter from wrong nan Google Lens app, look for nan “Search” action wrong nan pop-up sheet that appears atop it. It’s each excessively easy to overlook, but alongside nan different options we’ve gone complete sits nan elemental and supremely useful “Search.”

Keep that action successful mind arsenic a super-easy measurement to get info connected matter from immoderate beingness archive aliases captured image without having to manually peck successful nan words connected your own. (Sometimes, Lens will moreover put related results correct wrong a sheet beneath your image, without immoderate further searching required.)

And connected a related note…

Google Lens instrumentality #8: Search for akin visuals

We already cognize that Lens tin hunt for nan text from an image. But nan app is also tin of searching nan web for different images — images that lucifer nan actual objects wrong immoderate photograph aliases screenshot you’re viewing. It’s a awesome measurement to find visually akin images aliases moreover place thing for illustration a circumstantial telephone exemplary aliases merchandise seen wrong a photo.

To propulsion disconnected this portion of Googley sorcery, unfastened up an image of thing wrong Lens — aliases conscionable constituent your telephone astatine an entity successful nan existent world — past swipe up connected nan sheet that appears beneath it and look for nan “Visual matches” section.

Searching for akin visuals is simply a smart measurement to get other discourse astir thing astir you.

JR Raphael, Foundry

If you find yourself holding a business paper and thinking, “Well, blimey, I judge arsenic heckfire don’t want to type each of this into my contacts app,” first, congratulate yourself connected nan fantabulous usage of blimey — and past beryllium your beautiful person-shell backmost and fto Lens grip nan dense lifting for you.

Open Lens, constituent your phone’s camera astatine nan card, and pat connected nan person’s telephone number aliases email address. The Google Lens app should admit nan quality of nan info and punctual you to adhd a contact.

One much tap, and nan deed is done.

Google Lens instrumentality #10: Email, call, text, aliases navigate

Got an reside aliases number you request to get onto your telephone for a circumstantial benignant of action? It could beryllium connected a business card, connected a letter, aliases moreover connected nan beforehand of a random business’s door. Whatever nan case, conscionable unfastened nan Google Lens app, constituent your telephone astatine it, and pat nan text. (Or, action B: Snap a photograph of nan info successful mobility and past propulsion it up successful nan Lens app later.)

Once Lens sees it, it’ll connection to do whatever’s astir due for nan benignant of info involved. Then, pinch a azygous tap, you’ll person nan reside fresh to rotation successful a caller email draft, nan number fresh to telephone aliases matter successful your dialer aliases messaging app, aliases nan website pulled up and fresh for your viewing successful your browser — nary time-wasting typing required.

Google Lens instrumentality #11: Translate matter from nan existent world

If you ever find yourself staring astatine a motion successful different connection and wondering what successful nan world it says, retrieve that nan Google Lens app has a built-in translator feature. To find it, unfastened nan app, purpose your telephone astatine nan text, and pat nan connection “Translate” on nan bottommost separator of nan screen.

Before you cognize it, Lens will switch nan words connected your surface pinch their English equivalents (or pinch a translator successful immoderate connection you select, if English isn’t your tasse de thé) — practically successful existent time. It’s almost spooky really accelerated and effective it is.

Translation connected demand, courtesy of Google Lens.

JR Raphael, Foundry

Pas mal, eh?

Google Lens instrumentality #12: Calculate quickly

The adjacent clip you’ve sewage a numerical situation successful beforehand of your weary peepers, springiness your musty ol’ encephalon a break and fto Lens do immoderate bully old-fashioned solvin’ for ya.

Just unfastened up Lens and constituent your telephone astatine nan equation successful question — whether it’s connected a whiteboard, a beingness portion of paper, aliases moreover a surface successful beforehand of you. Scroll complete on nan statement astatine nan bottommost of nan Lens viewfinder surface until you spot nan connection “Homework” (and don’t worry: Despite what that explanation implies, you don’t person to beryllium an annoyingly youthful and bushytailed student to usage it).

Tap that, past pat nan large Lens hunt icon. And pinch everything from basal equations to precocious math, chemistry, physics, and biology, Lens will eagerly do your calculation for you and spit backmost an reply successful nan blink of an eye.

I won’t show if you don’t.

Google Lens instrumentality #13: Scan your skin

Here’s a weird one: If you ever person immoderate mysterious marking connected your mammal tegument and find yourself fretting complete whether it’s a freckle aliases thing much nefarious, return matters into your ain hands and fto Lens play nan domiciled of dermatologist for you.

Just occurrence ‘er up connected immoderate Android telephone you’re holding and constituent nan viewfinder astatine your wretch-inducing wart perfectly earthy epidermal abnormality, past pat that Lens hunt button. Before you tin spit retired nan words “Holy moley,” Lens will springiness you a champion conjecture astatine what you’ve sewage goin’ on.

Its results aren’t scientific, of course, but they are based connected matching your marking to an endless array of examples Lens seeks retired connected nan web — truthful they’re a good measurement to put your mind astatine easiness while you hold for an actual expert to analyse your suspiciously spotted outer layer.

Google Lens instrumentality #14: Crack nan codes

‘Twas a clip erstwhile Android code-reading apps were each nan rage — and plentifulness of folks still person ’em hangin’ astir today. So agelong arsenic nan Google Lens app is connected your phone, though, conjecture what? You don’t request thing more.

Just unfastened up Lens, purpose your camera astatine immoderate barcode aliases QR code, and poof: Lens will connection to show you immoderate that codification contains faster than you inquire “What does QR guidelines for, anyway?”

Who needs a QR codification scholar erstwhile Lens is fresh and waiting?

JR Raphael, Foundry

Being a mobile-tech magician has ne'er been truthful satisfying.

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