Google is constantly innovating, and the company is doing just that with improvements to Google Lens for iOS devices that allows iPhone owners to use Lens to search on your screen while you browse. Additionally, Google says AI Overviews with Google Lens searches i coming soon.
There’s a new Lens option on iPhone that lets you select and search something right from your screen when you’re either in the Chrome browser or Google app. You can draw, highlight, or tap to find out more in an article, shopping on a retail site, or even watching a video. This makes it simple and more convenient to run a visual search while browsing without having to take a screenshot or open a new tab.
To enjoy this feature, open the Chrome browser (or download it if you don’t yet have it on the device) and select the three-dot menu, then “Search Screen with Google Lens.” Coming soon, there will also be a new Lens icon in the address bar for quicker access to this same feature, just as with the Lens experience for Chrome desktop that Google launched last summer. Follow these same steps in the Google app for iOS, selecting “Search this Screen.”
The update is rolling out this week and will be available globally.
Additionally, Google’s advanced AI models are being improved. You can already use Google Lens to identify billions of objects, like plants, products, and landmarks, by matching an image against a database of images indexed from the web. This update will provide more information on the contents of more unique images through AI Overviews. Once available, these overviews will come up without you having to prompt for them with a question.
For example, you might see an image of an interesting vehicle with a weird texture used for its hood. Tap the camera icon in the Search bar, take a photo with Lens, and you’ll get an AI Overview along with links to resources on the web.
Of course, time and testing will gauge just how useful this feature is and how well it works, and how accurate the AI Overviews are. For now, you can start trying it out soon as the 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.