Google Lens’ new dining and translation features are now rolling out

By Christian de Looper Published March 25, 2022

Google Lens is getting an upgrade. At Google I/O 2019, Google announced that it would give Lens a number of new features, and even allowing the feature to work within Search. Now, some of those additions are finally rolling out.

Not all of the new features are rolling out right now, but some of the more substantial ones are. For starters, Google Lens will be able to automatically highlight which dishes are popular on a restaurant menu. All you have to do is point the Google Lens camera at the menu itself, and popular dishes will be highlighted on your phone’s screen. You’ll also be able to see reviews of dishes, photos of them, and more. Not only that, but Lens can help split the bill — point your camera at the receipt, and Lens will calculate the amounts each person has to pay.

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Google Translate is getting injected into Lens, too. With Google Lens, you’ll be able to point your camera at text in a foreign language and a translated version of the text will appear over the sign, menu, or whatever else.

Other features are also available. Notably, Lens now has a text-recognition feature that allows you to point it at text and you can then copy and paste that text to other apps and services.

Last but not least, Google Lens is making it a little easier to buy products you see in the real world. With Lens, you’ll be able to point the camera at clothing or furniture and then see similar items available online. If you can find the barcode of the product, you will be able to see that exact product and where it might be available for purchase, which is a nice touch.

The new features are rolling out to Lens users now and are expected to be available to all Lens users on both Android and iOS later this week. Lens can be found in Google Assistant and Google Photos on Android and in the Google and Google Photos apps on iOS. The feature is also available in the camera app on many Pixel phones.

Christian de Looper

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Christian de Looper is a long-time freelance writer who has covered every facet of the consumer tech and electric vehicle…

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