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Google Lens can now be accessed directly from the search app on iOS

Google Lens can now be accessed directly from the search app on iOS

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Using your camera to confirm that, yes, it’s a dog

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Image: Google

Google Lens, the search giant’s visual identification tool, can now be accessed directly from within the Google app on iOS (via 9to5Google). To do so, simply hit the Lens icon to the left of the microphone in the app’s search bar, at which point your phone’s camera will open, and Google will attempt to identify whatever you point it at — whether it’s a plant, an animal, or just some text you want to copy and paste elsewhere.

Previously, this image recognition service could only be accessed via Google Photos on iOS, which had the annoying side effect of forcing you to take a photo before Lens could perform its image recognition magic. This move makes the service a lot quicker and easier to access, allowing you to tap on an object to identify it without having to take a photo first.

The new app started its gradual rollout earlier this week, but as of this writing, it doesn’t appear to be available everywhere. When it is, Google will have closed another small gap in functionality between Android and iOS.