You’ve probably seen the colorful camera icon in the Google Search bar or the Google app.

It’s an unassuming shortcut that leads to a variety of impressive abilities.

This is Google Lens, and it’s a Google app you should know.

Google Lens features.

What Is Google Lens?

Google Lens is most easily described as the visual component of Google Search.

You typically do Google Searches with text queries, but Google Lens uses images and your camera as input.

Choose one of the Lens search modes.

Long-time smartphone users may remember an app called “Google Goggles.”

Goggles was the precursor to Google Lens.

Google Lens was officially launched in 2017 and pre-installed on the Pixel 2 smartphone.

Choose a photo you already took.

Google Lens will also be integrated with the company’s AI chatbot,Google Bard.

Related:20 Classic Smartphone Apps: Where Are They Now?

What Does Google Lens Do?

Google Lens on google.com

Google Lens essentially lets you do Google Searches by simply pointing your camera at things.

What it can do with what it sees is pretty amazing.

Google Lens can tell you a lot more than just what you’re looking at.

Upload a photo.

Got a math equation that you might’t figure out?

Don’t bother typing the whole thing into your calculator—point Google Lens at it.

These are just some of the simple things you’re free to do with Google Lens.

Lens reverse image search.

you might also use photos you already took from the section under the viewfinder for Lens searches.

That’s how easy it is to use Google Lens!

Google Lens on the web is much more limited than the mobile apps.

It’s good for reverse image searches, but not much more.

Google has various search products that mainly focus on text and voice searches.