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Google Lens starts rolling out to 2016 Pixel phones

Google Lens starts rolling out to 2016 Pixel phones

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Not all users have access yet

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Google Pixel
Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

Google Lens is reportedly appearing on the original Pixel devices according to a Reddit thread (as spotted by AndroidPolice). Google Lens is an on-demand object recognition tool that debuted alongside the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL back in October. It can do useful things like recognize the type of flower in a photo or tell you the name of a painting’s artist if you point your phone’s camera at it.

The update seems to be server-side, as Reddit user LaceratedCantaloupe found the tool had automatically appeared in his Google Photos app. Only a handful of Pixel owners are reporting the addition — of the Pixel users at The Verge here in London, neither Tom nor Vlad see the update yet.

The screenshot LaceratedCantaloupe provided does indicate the Google Lens is just a preview for Pixel owners and only active in the Photos app at the moment. That means Lens can only identify objects in your existing photos at this stage. The Lens function in Google Assistant doesn’t appear to be active yet.