Google Lens is coming soon to the desktop, and getting super-charged on mobile
One of the biggest features available for iOS, iPadOS, and macOS users this Fall is what Apple is calling “Live Text”. Essentially, it’s Apple’s take on Google Lens, which is already a pretty powerful tool that can identify objects and extract text from an image before copying and pasting it elsewhere.
Inspiration can strike at any time. ⚡ Soon you'll be able to use #GoogleLens to instantly search for products within images while browsing on the Google app on iPhone. And psst… Lens is coming to Chrome on desktop too 👀 #SearchOn pic.twitter.com/HTQCz7sjoO
— Google (@Google) September 29, 2021
Until today, Google Lens was only available on mobile devices, and you had to rely on different extensions or software to achieve the same thing on your computer. During its ‘Search On 2021‘ event, Google has announced that Lens will be arriving for Chrome on the desktop “in the coming months”.
The feature is about as easy as you would expect it to be, as all you will need to do is right-click on the page, and then select “Search part of the page with Google Lens” from the drop-down menu. Then, the results will appear in a pop-out menu on the right-side of the screen.
MUM, our advanced AI model, is coming to #GoogleLens early next year. You’ll be able to snap a photo AND ask a question, which can be helpful in those moments you need to fix a broken part and have no idea what it is 🤷🔧 #SearchOn pic.twitter.com/cmedce3dB2
— Google (@Google) September 29, 2021
Along with bringing Lens to the desktop, Google also announced some pretty interesting changes and developments coming to Lens on your phone. With the Multitask Unified Model (MUM), Lens will be able to answer questions about what you are viewing. For example, you can highlight a picture of a shirt with Google Lens, and then ask it to find “socks with this pattern”.
From there, you’ll be provided with potential results that you can comb through in an attempt to find what you’re looking for. And just like with Lens on the Desktop, Google announced this new feature for mobile devices will also be arriving “in the coming months”. Additionally, when it’s launched, the feature will only be available in English before rolling out with support for more languages.