As promised at Google I/O 2017, the Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based Google Lens camera feature, which was limited only to the flagship Pixel series phones, is finally coming to mid-range and low-end Android phones.
"Rolling out today, Android users can try Google Lens to do things like creating a contact from a business card or get more info about a famous landmark. To start, make sure you have the latest version of the Google Photos app for Android," the Google Photos team said on Twitter.
It has to be noted that the Google Lens feature update is being rolled out to the Google Photos app and since the process is being carried out in phases, it will take a few days to reach all corners of the world.
Also, Google Lens will be compatible with all Android phones running Android v6.0 Marshmallow or later, meaning a little over 51 percent of all Android phones in the world will be able to enjoy the camera feature.
What's so fascinating about Google Lens and how can one make the best use of it?
AI-powered Google Lens is undoubtedly a highly-advanced camera feature that can turn a somber photo session into a lively infotainment interaction.
With machine-learning algorithm integrated into Google Lens, it is intelligent enough to perceive what pictures the phone user is capturing and provide information of the subject such as an old forgotten celebrity, a locale or a music album cover in the photo. Google Lens literally turns your Android phone into a visual search engine.
Rolling out today, Android users can try Google Lens to do things like create a contact from a business card or get more info about a famous landmark. To start, make sure you have the latest version of the Google Photos app for Android: https://t.co/KCChxQG6Qm
— Google Photos (@googlephotos) March 5, 2018
Coming soon to iOS pic.twitter.com/FmX1ipvN62
For instance, if users take a snap (via the Google Photo app) of a restaurant and tap the Google Lens option, it will automatically connect to the Google Search function and give the hotel's timings, menu cards, reviews and table-booking options.
If the menu card is in a foreign language, Google Lens can also translate it into English or your mother tongue (select global languages).
Another notable aspect of Google Lens is its capability to perceive information within a photo and accurately carry out the function.
We still can't forget company CEO Sundar Pichai's Google Lens demo at the Google I/O 2017 event. Pichai connected his phone to a Wi-Fi network just by snapping a photo of a sticker on the internet router.
It is said that Google Lens is intuitive enough to identify that it is looking at a Wi-Fi network's name and password, then it offers the user the option to tap a button and connect automatically.
This is just one of the many capabilities of the Google Lens app, and guess what, it will get more intelligent over time as the company is investing some big cash and engineering resources on Big Data research to improve machine learning.
For those unaware, Big Data is an extremely large set of information that is analyzed computationally to reveal patterns, trends, and associations, especially relating to human behavior and interactions.
Google has also confirmed that Google Lens feature will also be released to iOS Google Photo app version soon.
