Google Lens

What Google Lens does

Google Lens turns your phone’s camera into a visual search tool. Point it at an object, sign, document, plant, animal, landmark, product or restaurant menu, and it can return relevant information without requiring you to describe everything in a search box. It suits people who often need to identify unfamiliar things, read information from the world around them, or move printed content into a digital form.

Useful tools in one camera view

• Text recognition: Select, copy and search words from paper, signs and other visible text.
• Translation: Use the camera to understand text in another language, including signs and printed material.
• Visual identification: Get help recognising plants, animals, places and everyday objects.
• Shopping search: Look for products or visually similar items from a photo or camera view.
• Menu and place details: Explore information connected with restaurants, dishes, buildings and other locations.

Who it suits

Google Lens is useful for travellers reading unfamiliar signs, students collecting text from books, shoppers comparing products and anyone who prefers showing a camera what they mean instead of typing a long query. It can also be handy for quick identification when you do not know the name of an object or place. Results depend on the quality of the image and the information available to Google, so it works best when the subject is clear and well lit.

At a glance

Developed by Google LLC, Google Lens is listed in the Tools category. It holds a 4.73/5 rating from more than 2.78 million reviews and has recorded 1 billion-plus installs. Those figures reflect its role as a broad, everyday utility rather than a specialist camera app.