14 ways Google Lens can save you time on Android

Thomas Lucero
2 years ago
14 ways Google Lens can save you time on Android

Google Lens is a powerful tool offered on Android devices that can help you save time in many ways. Here are some of the top 14 uses for Google Lens. We will tell you more about them.

Table of contents:

Copy text from the real world

Copying text from the real world using Google Lens is a simple and effective way to quickly capture written content. Whether you need it for work, school, or just for personal convenience, this guide will show you how to do it in no time. 

  1. To get started, open the Google Lens app on your device. It should be pre-installed on some Android phones. Otherwise, you can download it from the Play Store. Once you’ve opened the app, point your camera at whatever text you want to copy and wait for it to recognize it. Depending on lighting conditions and font size, this could take up to several seconds. 
  2. Once recognized, a box should appear around the text with an arrow icon in the bottom right corner. Tap this icon, and you’ll be able to select and copy the text. You can save it directly in Google Lens or send it to your clipboard for pasting elsewhere. 
  3. If you want to keep a record of previously copied texts, you can do so within the app itself by selecting “Saved Items” from the side menu. There, you can find a log of all texts that have been copied with Google Lens, as well as any images that were saved alongside them. 

This is how easy it is to copy text from the real world using Google Lens. It takes only seconds and comes in handy when you need information quickly without having to type it out manually.

Send text from the real world to your computer

Google Lens is a powerful image search tool that enables you to search the web using images taken with your smartphone. You can also use it to send text from the real world directly to your computer. This can be useful for quickly copying phone numbers, addresses, or other information without manually typing it. Here’s how it works: 

  1. Open up Google Lens on your mobile device and point it at the text you want to copy. 
  2. Once the text has been recognized by Google Lens, tap on the “Copy Text” icon located in the top right corner of your screen. 
  3. The text will be copied directly into your clipboard and ready for pasting onto any content-editing tool or application. 
  4. To paste the text onto your computer, simply open up the document or program you want to add the text to and use the keyboard shortcut Control + V (PC) or Command + V (Mac). The copied text will then be added automatically to your content. 

Google Lens is a great way of quickly saving time when needing to copy information from physical materials into digital documents and applications.

Hear text from the real world read aloud

Google Lens is a powerful tool to help you hear text from the real world read aloud. Using your device’s camera, it can quickly detect text and turn it into speech. 

  1. To use Google Lens to make text readable, open the app and tap on the “Lens” icon at the bottom of the screen. 
  2. Point your device’s camera at whatever you want to hear read aloud, then tap on any words or phrases that appear in blue boxes within your viewfinder. 
  3. Finally, hit “Speak” to have Google Lens read out loud what it detects.

Whether it’s for studying purposes or just plain enjoyment, hearing text read aloud with Google Lens can be an incredibly convenient way to access information.

Interact with text from an image

Interacting with text from an image using Google Lens is a quick and easy way to get more information about what you’re looking at. With just a few taps, you can use Google Lens to copy text from an image, translate it into another language, or even search the web for related images and information. Here’s how you can do it: 

  1. Open your device’s camera app and capture the photo with the text that you want to interact with.
  2. When the photo is open in your camera app, tap the Google Lens icon at the bottom of the screen to launch Google Lens. 
  3. When Google Lens opens, focus on the text in your photo by tapping on it one time.
  4. Google Lens will then be able to detect the text in your photo and provide you with options for interacting with it.
  5. You can choose from a variety of options, such as copying the text, translating it into another language, or searching the web for images related to what you’re looking at. 
  6. Select your desired option and follow the on-screen prompts to complete your task. 
  7. Once you’re done, you should have all the information that you need about the text in your image. 
  8. To close Google Lens, press the back button on your device and return to your camera app or home screen. 

Interacting with text from an image using Google Lens is a great way to quickly get more information about what you’re looking at.

Search for text from any physical document or image

Using Google Lens, you can easily search for text from any physical document or image. This is an incredibly useful tool if you ever find yourself needing to translate a foreign language document quickly, looking up information related to a photo you took with your camera phone, or just trying to find more information about something that caught your eye. Here are the steps to take when using Google Lens: 

  1. Open the Google app on your device and tap on “Lens” in the bottom right corner of the screen. 
  2. Take a picture of the document/image that contains the text for which you are searching. 
  3. Once your picture has been taken, Google will automatically recognize objects in your image and provide you with search results related to what it has identified. 
  4. Tap on the text that you would like to search for and a list of options will appear, including “Translate”, “Copy Text”, and “Search web for”. 
  5. Make your selection and Google Lens will do the rest! You can now use the translated text or copy & paste it into other applications. 
  6. Finally, if you are looking for more information about something in your image, simply select “Search web for” to view relevant search results from across the web. 

Google Lens makes it easy to quickly search for text from any physical document or image.

Search for similar visuals

Searching for similar visuals using Google Lens is a great way to find visually similar images. It can be used to identify objects, recognize landmarks, and even explore the world around you with new features like Live View. 

  1. To search for similar visuals using Google Lens, simply open the app and tap “Search” at the bottom of your screen. 
  2. Then touch an object or landmark that you want to find more information about. You’ll see a set of visually similar images which can help you learn more about it. 
  3. If you’re looking for something specific, use the menu bar in the top left corner to narrow down your search by categories such as animals, plants, buildings, food and drinks, etc. 

With Google Lens’ improved image recognition technology and its ever-growing database, you’ll be able to find the information you’re looking for with ease.

Create a calendar event

Creating a calendar event using Google Lens is an easy and convenient way to quickly schedule something. To get started, open the Google Lens app on your device. You’ll be presented with two options: Text or Image. 

  • If you select ‘Text’, point your camera at text-based information that contains the details of your calendar event (e.g., meeting date and time). The app will then recognize the details and prompt you to create a new event in your calendar. If you select ‘Image’, point your camera at an image containing the details for your calendar event (e.g., a flyer from an upcoming conference). Again, the app will recognize the details and prompt you to create a new event in your calendar. 
  • Once you select ‘Create event’, you’ll be taken to a page that allows you to make any adjustments to the event you’d like. You’ll also have the opportunity to add additional information such as guests, reminders, and more. Once you’ve finalized your calendar event, hit save and it will be added directly to your Google Calendar. 

Using Google Lens is a great way to streamline your calendar-planning process and reduce the amount of time spent manually entering events into your smartphone’s calendar app.

Save someone’s contact information

Google Lens is a powerful tool that allows users to save contact information quickly and easily. By pointing your phone camera at a business card, you can instantly save the person’s name, number, email address, and other contact info without having to manually type in the details yourself. Here’s how you do it: 

  1. Open the Google Lens app and point your phone camera at the business card. 
  2. Tap on the “Save Contact” option in the bottom right corner of the screen. 
  3. Select which contact details you want to save and tap “Done” when finished. 
  4. Your new contact will now be saved in your Google Contacts list. 

Google Lens also allows users to save contact information from websites and other sources, such as QR codes or posters. To use this feature, open the Google Lens app and point your camera at the website or poster with the contact info you want to save. Tap on “Create Contact” and select the info you want to save. When finished, tap “Done” and your contact will now be saved in your Google Contacts list.

Email, call, text, or navigate to a website

  • Emailing.  The easiest way to email someone is to open your email client, create a new message, and enter the recipient’s address. You can include any information you need in the body of the message, add attachments if necessary, then click Send.
  • Calling. To make a call using Google Lens, open up the app on your device and tap on the “Call” button. Enter the name or number of the person you want to contact, then tap on “Call” again to initiate a connection.
  • Texting. Texting someone is simple with Google Lens as well. Just open up the app and choose “Text” from the options at the bottom of the screen. Enter the name or number of the person you want to text, then type your message in the box provided. Once you’re done, just click “Send” to deliver the message.
  • Navigating to a website. If you need to navigate to a website using Google Lens, open up the app and tap on the “Web” option at the bottom of the screen. Type in the address of the website or search term that you want to look up, and Google Lens will automatically direct you there. You can also use it to visualize any images or objects that are found on websites as well.

Translate text from the real world

Google Lens is a powerful tool that can help you translate text from the real world. It works by analyzing the image to identify objects, words and other details in it, and then translating them into the language of your choice. To use Google Lens for translation, here are the steps: 

  1. Open Google Lens on your device (available through either the Google Photos app or via Google Assistant). 
  2. Take a picture of what you need to translate, or upload an existing image from your photo library. 
  3. Select the language you want to use for translation by tapping on “Language” at the top right corner of your screen. 
  4. Tap “Scan” in order to recognize the text in the image. 
  5. Once Google Lens has identified the text, it will automatically be translated into your chosen language. 
  6. To save the translation for future reference, you can take a screenshot of the page or use an app like Google Keep to store it in your notes.

This tool is especially useful when you need to understand a written message but don’t have access to traditional translations services, such as dictionaries or interpreters.

Act as your on-demand calculator

Google Lens is a powerful tool that can act as your own on-demand calculator. With Google Lens you can use your smartphone or tablet to scan equations, formulas and solve them instantly. This makes it easier to quickly get the answer to any math problem while studying or working. 

  1. To use Google Lens, open the app and point your camera towards an equation or formula you need solved. Once the equation appears in frame, hold still for a few seconds so that it can be recognized by Google lens. The result of the equation will then appear at the bottom of your screen in a fraction of a second! 
  2. If there are multiple equations in frame, Google Lens will prompt you with its “Tap to Solve” option, so you can easily select which equation you’d like to solve. 
  3. Google Lens also allows users to search for related equations and formulas by highlighting the text and selecting “Search This Text” from the drop-down menu. From here, you can find helpful resources, such as tutorials, videos, websites, and more related to the equation or formula in question. 

So next time you need to solve a math problem quickly, turn to Google Lens.

Scan codes galore

Google Lens is a powerful tool that helps you find information and explore the world around you. Using your phone’s camera, Google Lens can scan barcodes, QR codes, and even text to provide detailed information about products or services. With Google Lens, you no longer have to type in long searches or take time out of your day to get what you need. 

To use Google Lens: 

  1. Open the Google Lens app on your device. 
  2. Point the camera at the code or text you want it to recognize. 
  3. Wait for it to analyze the image and display information related to it.  
  4. If necessary, tap on the item detected by Google Lens for more detail.

Google Lens is a great way to quickly and easily access information without having to type in long searches or think too much about what you need.

Use Lens from Image Search, Photos, and your phone’s camera

Using Lens from Image Search and Photos is a great way to get the most out of your photos. With Lens, you can quickly identify objects in images, lookup similar items online, or even scan text from books and documents. It’s fast, easy, and can be used with any device that has Google Photos installed.

  1. To start using Lens from Image Search, just open up the app on your phone or tablet and tap the “Lens” icon at the bottom of the screen. From there, you’ll see all of the options available for searching images or scanning text.
  2. When you’re ready to use Lens from Photos on your phone’s camera, simply launch the Camera app and select “Lens” from the menu. This will open up a live view of the camera with a detect box at the top. Point your phone’s lens at whatever you want to search and Lens will identify it in seconds.
  3. Lens can also be used to scan text from books and documents. Just select “Scan Text” within the Lens app, then point your phone’s camera towards the text you want to read. In a few seconds, Lens will convert the text into digital format.

Using Lens is an incredibly useful way to get more out of your photos and other media, whether you’re looking for information about objects in images or simply scanning text from sources like books and documents.

Get to Lens without lifting a finger

Not everyone is aware that they can access Google Lens without lifting a finger. This powerful image recognition tool, which allows you to explore objects, places, and activities in your environment, can be easily accessed on Android or iOS phones. To get started using Google Lens, all you need to do is follow these simple steps: 

  1. Open the Google app on your Android phone or open the Camera app on your iOS device. 
  2. Point your camera at an object you’d like to learn more about and tap the Lens icon located in the bottom right corner of your screen (or simply swipe up if using an iPhone). 
  3. You will now see a live feed from your camera with a list of results based on what you pointed your camera at. 
  4. To learn more about the object, tap on one of the results and Google Lens will provide more information, such as related images or relevant links. 

These tips will help you access Google Lens without manually searching for it in your apps or settings menu.

In conclusion

In conclusion, Google Lens helps users save time in a variety of ways. From automatically recognizing text to helping find similar items from images, Google Lens provides an intuitive and convenient way for Android users to quickly access the information they need. Furthermore, with its integration into various other services and apps, such as Photos and Drive, it is even easier for users to take advantage of all that Google Lens has to offer.