How to Use Google Lens on Android and iPhone

• Google Lens can identify real-world objects with your camera and find information about them.
• To use Google Lens with your camera, you must have an Android phone.
• You can also use Google Lens through the Google Photos app on your iPhone or iPad.

Google Lens is a tool that uses image recognition to help you navigate the real world through Google Assistant.

Here's what you'll need to do to start using this helpful tool to identify images around you.

What images can Google Lens identify?

You can use it to identify images on your camera and gain more information about landmarks, places, plants, animals, products, and other objects. It can also be used to scan and auto-translate text.

How to use Google Lens

Before you can use Google Lens, make sure you've downloaded the app onto your phone from the Google Play store. And keep in mind that it's only available to those with an Android phone (unless you're using Google Photos, which you can see directions for at the bottom).

Once that's done, here's how to start using it to identify images via Google Assistant on an Android phone:

1. Open the Google Lens app and swipe down.

2. Select Open Camera and grant the app approval to use the camera.

3. Take a photo of whatever you want Google Lens to identify by tapping the search button in the bottom-center section of the screen.

Tap the search button. Kyle Wilson/Insider

Once you snap the photo and Google Lens identifies the image, you'll get a list of relevant information about it.

Quick tip: You can select from a number of different options depending on your photo — the document icon to scan text, the character icons to translate text, the shopping cart for shopping information, or the fork and knife icon for restaurants.

How to use Google Lens through Google Photos

Alternatively, if you haven't yet enabled the Google Assistant on your phone or don't have access to it, you could also access Google Lens via the Google Photos app.

First, snap a photo of whatever you want to identify. Then open the Google Photos app, select that photo, and tap the Google Lens icon. From there, you should be able to access many of the tools and features mentioned above on your Android phone.

Quick tip: You can use Google Lens via Google Photos on your iPhone or iPad, but some of your options will be limited; for instance, you won't be able to identify products and barcodes.