Google Photos for the iOS has added Google Lens, a feature powered by Google's AI image recognition technology that will make life easier for iPhone owners.
Google Lens was first announced at Google's I/O developer conference last year. While all the features that were promised for the software have not yet been perfected, Google Lens certainly holds promise in changing the way we look at things, now for both Android and iOS device owners.
Google Lens Rolls Out To Google Photos For iOS
Google Lens arrived to Google Assistant for some Pixel and Pixel 2 smartphones in November, and was then made available to all Google Photo users on Android devices last week.
It was then reported that Google Lens will also soon be arriving to the iOS version of Google Photos, but few may have expected for that promise to be fulfilled so soon.
Google, through the official Google Photos account on Twitter, announced that Google Lens has started to gradually roll out through to next week for iOS, with the only requirement being that the app must be updated to the latest version 3.15.
To access the feature on iOS devices, users will simply have to launch the Google Photos app and tap on the new Google Lens icon.
What Can Google Lens Do?
Google Lens allows users to perform visual searches through the cameras of their smartphones, instead of having to type words or use saved pictures in Google's search engine.
For example, looking at landmarks or artwork in a museum through Google Lens will bring up all the information about them, which is great for people visiting another state or tourists traveling to another country. Google Lens will also be able to provide details about stores, including their contact details and their opening hours, as well as information on books, plants, and animals. Users can also have Google Lens create a contact by having the feature look at a business card, or add a calendar event by having it focus on a poster.
However, as with most Google products, it should be noted that Google Lens collects data regarding the user's activity. For users who are not comfortable with that, you may delete your Lens history on your Google account, just like with all the other data that the company collects from users through its apps.
Google I/O Developer Conference 2018
It is unclear if Google Lens will again be present at this year's Google I/O. In January, Google revealed the details about the upcoming conference through an online game, but not the topics that the presentations will focus on.
What we do know, however, is that Google will likely unveil Android P at Google I/O 2018, though questions remain on whether another version is what the mobile operating system needs.
