Google Lens now lets you draw and search on iPhone
What's the story
Google has added two major updates to its Lens feature, in a bid to improve user experience. The first update lets iPhone users conduct visual searches by drawing, highlighting or tapping on text and images in Chrome and Google apps. The feature expands the 'Circle to Search' capability launched for Android last year. Though implementation differs due to iOS limits, the goal is same: Simplifying information retrieval about an image without opening a new Chrome tab or saving a screenshot.
User guide
Accessing the new feature on iPhone
To use this new feature, users have to open the three-dot menu from within Chrome or the Google app and tap on "Search Screen with Google Lens." Once they highlight/tap an item on their screen, they'll see visual matches and other related results. They can then refine their search by color, brand, or other details with the "Add to your search" option. Users can also ask follow-up questions for more information about a topic.
AI integration
Google Lens to provide AI overviews for unique images
The second Google Lens update is the integration of AI Overviews. These come especially handy when you are looking for information on something unique or novel. In such cases, you won't have to prompt Lens with a question about the image you just captured. Rather, the software will automatically try to provide a helpful explanation of what you're seeing. It is being rolled out to all English-language users in countries where AI Overviews are available, starting with the Google app for Android and iOS, and soon extending to Chrome for desktop and mobile devices.
Search enhancement
AI overviews to feature in more Google Lens search results
Google is also expanding the use of AI Overviews to more Google Lens search results. Earlier, these were only shown in Lens searches with both images and text. With this latest update, users will start seeing AI Overviews without having to add extra text or questions to their searches. This improvement is part of Google's ongoing efforts to enhance user experience through its Lens tech.