In March, Google introduced the company's Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered Lens feature to the Photos app for non-Pixel phones and now the same camera app is getting integrated to the Google Assistant in OnePlus devices.
Several OnePlus 5 (& 5T) and OnePlus 3 (&3T) series owners in the UK have reported on Reddit that the Google Assistant is showing Lens options during the keyword search. With the software update, Lens feature will turn OnePlus devices' camera into a visual search engine.
Google Lens is being released with a software update and since it is carried out in phases, it is expected to reach all global OnePlus phones in the coming days.
As far as the other branded Android phones are concerned, they too will be getting a similar update in coming weeks. We believe the upcoming OnePlus 6 may come with Google Lens feature out-of-the-box.
What's so special about Google Lens?
The Google Lens is one of the best camera application in the mobile ecosystem. It can turn a somber photo session on an Android phone (running v6.0 Marshmallow and later OS) 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.
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 praiseworthy attribute of Google Lens is its capability to perceive information within a photo and accurately carry out the function. For example, device owners can connect their phone to a Wi-Fi network just by snapping a photo of a sticker (with security barcode) on the internet router.
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.
