Google Lens in Google Assistant is starting to hit all Pixel devices as Google has now officially confirmed that it’s beginning the rollout process of flipping the switch for this new feature. For those that have either the Pixel 2 or Pixel 2 XL or last year’s Pixel or Pixel XL, Google Assistant should start showing the Google Lens button in the bottom right corner just like in the image above. With Google Lens now in Google Assistant, it’s now going to be extremely easy for users to find out more about the things around them without having to take pictures of things first.
Google Lens started showing up in Assistant for some Pixel owners who were already on the Android 8.1 Oreo beta as early as yesterday, so this is certainly a quick turnaround for Google in regards to making the feature available to more people. That said, just because the feature is now starting to go live officially for anyone with a Pixel device from either generation, that doesn’t mean that everyone will have it immediately or by the end of the day.
In fact, Google is confirming that it will be a weeks-long process, stating that users can expect Lens to show up in Google Assistant “over the coming weeks” which means there will be some users who are in for a bit of a wait to get this feature up and running. In addition to the rollout taking a few weeks to reach all Pixel device owners, Google says it will only update and hit devices for users who have their Pixel devices set to English, and only in a handful of different regions which include the U.S., the UK, Australia, Singapore, Canada, and India, which means there will be plenty of users who won’t have access to this right now. Still, lack of more region availability aside, those who do have access to it whether sooner or later, will be in for a handful of new useful functions, from scanning text so you can save information on business cards to looking up products by scanning a barcode, and then getting more details about that particular product, like how it much costs and where to buy it. If you’re no seeing Google Lens in Google Assistant just yet, it’s already available in the Google Photos app, so you’ll still be able to get similar functionality by snapping a picture of something first, then tapping the Lens button on that image within Photos. It might not be as quick of a process, but it’s better than not having it all.