Last updated on December 8th, 2022 at 02:46 pm
Do we want to recognize a certain object? Let’s see how to use Google Lens for visual recognition.
Among the most technological apps that we can use on our mobile phone, the new Google Lens app certainly stands out, which allows you to take advantage of artificial intelligence to effectively recognize any type of object and immediately start a search on it, without having to decipher which object we have. framed with the camera.
If we too are fascinated by technological innovations and want to put them into practice immediately, in this guide we will show you how to install Google Lens on Android devices and on iPhone / iPad, so that you can immediately exploit the power of Google’s artificial intelligence to recognize objects. present in the frame of the camera or to start a search on that precise object (also a search based on online purchases).
How Google Lens works
Google Lens is in effect a digital eye made available by Google to recognize every object framed with the camera.
For example, by framing a dog it is possible to trace its breed (if it has a recognizable pedigree), but the potential is truly unlimited: we can for example frame a building or a monument to find out what it is called or its history, frame a dish at the restaurant to find out the name and also obtain the list of ingredients or the recipe with which to prepare it, frame an object that we want to buy and find out if there are any online offers or recognize plants, flowers and the name of common objects. At the time of writing, Google Lens is only available by connecting the device to the Internet and using the service in one of the Google apps in which it is integrated (as we will see later).
While the following article talks about Google Lens on Android and iOS, remember that you can also use Google Lens to copy handwritten text to a PC.
Using Google Lens on Android
Now that we have seen the potential of Google Lens we can install it on our Android device (be it smartphone or tablet) by downloading the free Google Camera app, the official Google camera app downloadable from the Google Play Store.
We install this app on our mobile or tablet and access the Google Lens features by opening the app, scrolling down to the More menu, and pressing the Lens icon. To use visual recognition, we frame anything and press the button in the form of a snapshot with the magnifying glass to start a search with Lens.
Unfortunately, this app is not available for all Android smartphones or tablets due to compatibility issues (varies according to the manufacturer); if it is not possible to install the Camera app, we can still use Google Lens through Google’s Voice Assistant, already integrated in all Android devices within the Google app; to use it all we have to do is open the Google app and press the Google Lens icon at the top right so that we can perform a visual search.
If, on the other hand, we want to use Google Lens on a photo already taken, open the Google Photos app (if we don’t have it, download it immediately, even if only to take advantage of the free unlimited photo backup ), open the photo we want to scan and press down on the Google Lens icon.
Use Google Lens on iPhone / iPad
To use Google Lens on iPhone or iPad we will need to install the Google app on our device, available for free in the App Store.
Once the app has been downloaded, start it, log in with our Google account and, once in the search engine, press the Google Lens icon in the top bar and start a visual search with the rear camera of the iPhone or iPad.
Alternatively, we can always take the photo of the object to be scanned with the default iPhone camera app. If we choose this path, all we have to do is take the photo of the object to be identified or analyzed, save the shot in the internal memory of the device, download the Google Photos app, open the photo taken a little while ago and press the Google Lens icon to start the visual search.
Alternatives to Google Lens
The technology used by Google Lens is very advanced, to the point that there are no real rivals at the time of writing. However, if we want to take advantage of the reverse search features starting from the images we can use a free service like TinEye, reachable at the official website.
By uploading a photo or a shot of an unknown object or of anything to be identified (even a thicket or a monument), we can perform a reverse search and find out in which images the object of the shot appears; with a little luck, we will find the name we are looking for or the dedicated Wikipedia page, so that we can immediately clarify any doubts.
If, on the other hand, we are looking for an alternative app for visual search on iPhone or iPad we can download the Reversee: Reverse Image Search app, available for free in the App Store.
Similar to when seen for TinEye, this app allows you to load photos or images from the device memory and immediately start a reverse search, so as to discover every detail about it (but only if something similar is already present on the Web) .
Conclusions
Google never ceases to innovate and surprise its users: with Google Lens, in fact, everyone can take advantage of very advanced technology (based on artificial intelligence) to recognize every object, monument, or thing in front of our smartphone. With Google Lens we will have a truly intelligent electronic eye always at our disposal, to help us recognize and inform us about the things we don’t know.