The latest version of the Google App beta is showing signs of Google Lens, the new camera-related feature for Google Search that was announced during Google I/O 2017. While the feature isn’t live yet as Google noted during the conference that it wouldn’t be available until later on in the year the Google App beta which is now in version 7.3, seems to have replaced the icon for visual search with the Google Lens icon that was shown during the conference, though it isn’t featuring Google’s themed colors and is instead displayed in a grey color.
This version of the beta also shows that Google is renaming the Google App. It will now be called Google, making this a simplification of sorts. This is a pretty minor change, but certainly keeps things more streamlined and will probably make it easier for new users to identify what the app does. Google might be renaming the visual search feature in a future update to the app too, though at this point in time there isn’t any detail one what it will be using for the new name in place of visual search.
Also new in this version of the beta app will be the inclusion of app shortcuts, at least according to the APK teardown. Unlike the last two details though the app shortcuts are actually live and will be usable. The different shortcuts that are available will be options to search in apps, view your recent searches, open up voice search, and open up regular search. App shortcuts are available for the stable Google App on version 7.2.25.21 on the Pixel, so it’s not clear what is new with the App Shortcuts in Google beta 7.3, but if you’re using the Google beta this is one of the features you should check out. For those that are unfamiliar with the process, the Google beta is Google’s way of testing new features and other changes and improvements before rolling things out to the stable version of the app. A previous version of the Google beta hinted at a notification panel search feature which still doesn’t seem to have appeared, so perhaps it will be coming in a later version of the app.