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The announcements of new Google Lens features at the Google I/O 2018 in early May already made quite an impression. Now they are rolled out.

When lens was launched, it could already identify information and objects in still photos. The new update goes one step further, with real-time recognition combined with other smart features.

Lens uses the smartphone camera to analyse texts, buildings, landmarks and objects such as clothing, plants or even animals in real time Without having take a picture. And then provides automatically via anchor points relevant information about the detected objects. This real-time recognition makes the search much faster and more comfortable.
Useful: Identified texts can be marked, copied and then pasted elsewhere. It is also possible to translate terms and save contacts, appointments or phone numbers directly.

The “similar style” function is particularly interesting, especially for the e-commerce sector. If the camera is aimed at clothing, accessories, furniture or decorative objects, Google’s AI automatically searches the web for similar products. The AI tries to identify the main characteristics of the product and to offer similar options to the user. The results are presented directly with picture, price and link. Similar visual search function are already known from Pinterest Lens, Amazon or eBay.

In a world where pictures are worth a thousands words, the benefits of a visual search are obvious. Hold the camera, let search for it and shop directly online or have the next stationery retailer shown. Especially for fashion or home décor, a visual function makes it easier for users to search for specific products and also to compare offers.

Another reason why a good online presence with high quality product images is so important today. For useful tips, check out our guide to convincing product images.