Google announced a big update for Lens at I/O earlier this month. That big update is coming to Android devices that are ARCore-compatible later this week.
This update includes a number of new features. This includes some new filters for Lens, which is going to allow people to see specific results or actions. This is going to allow customers to get things done faster with Lens. Prime examples of this includes the new Dining and Translate features.
With Lens, it can automatically highlight what dishes are popular, and it will show it on the physical menu too. Lens will also show you what the dish looks like, when you tap on it. On top of that, you’ll also be able to see what people are saying about it. This is thanks to photos and reviews on Google Maps. Essentially, Google is curating those reviews and photos that people add to Maps, and putting it into Lens. Finally, when the check arrives, you can point Lens at the receipt, and it will automatically be able to calculate the tip and split the bill, if needed.
One of the best features for Lens has been the translate features. Now, you can point your camera at text, and it will automatically detect the language and overlay the translation on the original text. Making it easier to see what a sign in a foreign country is saying. This is going to work in over 100 languages.
Speaking of text, you can now copy and paste text from the real world with Lens. If you haven’t changed your WiFi password, and need to copy it from the back of your router, instead of needing to type it in yourself, you can use Lens. Point Lens at the WiFi password and it’ll automatically copy it, so you can paste it anywhere on your phone. This also works for things like recipes and gift card codes.
Rounding out this update for Lens, you can now point your camera at things like clothes, furniture and more, to see similar things that you can pick up. Then there is the “Auto” mode, which will automatically decipher what you are pointing your camera at, and give you the appropriate results.
Google Lens has continued to get better and better, since Google unveiled it a couple of years ago. It has a lot of the similar features that the Google Assistant has, but all built into the camera, which is a big deal for a lot of people. Being able to just whip out your phone, and open the camera to find out what you should get from a new restaurant, is a pretty cool feature. Especially if the menu is in a language that you are unfamiliar with – or uses some fancy words that you may not know what they mean.
Besides the camera, Google Lens is also built into the Google Assistant and Google Photos apps on all Android smartphones. The update should be rolling out in the coming days.