There are many incredible uses for Google Lens that go beyond the usual reverse image search. Since it uses AI, it is able to identify the content of a photo rather than just finding similar images. Here are some fun ways to use it.

What is Google Lens?

Google Lens is a visual search tool that uses AI and Google Search to display results based on what it can identify in a photo. It was launched in October 2017 and has come a long way since then. Google Lens is available on the Google app, available on Android, iPhone, iPadand PC browsers.

How to use Google Lens

To use Google Lens, open the app and click the Google-branded camera icon in the search bar:

From there, you can take a photo or select one from your photo gallery to search using Google Lens.

Google Lens PC browsers are more limited and are mainly used for Google reverse image searches.

Find bargains in stores and flea markets

I love browsing flea markets and estate sales as much as anyone. Sometimes you find something unique that you won’t find elsewhere, right?

Before I knew about Google Lens, I would often come across a cool item and wonder if I could get it for a lower price or find other similar ones with a similar design. Well, it turns out you can.

You can use Google Lens to take a photo of the item, label or barcode and instantly retrieve price comparisons, product reviews and other information including material and composition.

To get started, tap the Google-branded camera icon and take a photo of the item. You also have the option to select photos from your camera gallery here.

Once a photo is taken or uploaded, the search begins immediately:

As you scroll down, you’ll see a list of results, from customer reviews to pricing information and other places to buy the same item. Pretty useful, right?

Find new and interesting recipes

One of the great things about California is its growing climate, which makes it fantastic for gardening. But what to do with all these products? There are only so many roasted vegetables and soups you can make. So I went to my trusted assistant, Google Lens.

I took a photo of all the products I wanted in a recipe:

I then added the word recipes to the search bar, which immediately filled a page of relevant results:

Based on the results, there are recipes for preparing baked stuffed peppers, a traditional Baba Ganoush recipe and cooked eggplant salad. It’s a quick and easy way to get a visual gallery of several creative ideas, especially if you’re tired of eating the same things!

I followed the same steps to get a recipe for one of my favorite dishes from a Japanese restaurant in England that I couldn’t find here. I uploaded a photo of the dish to Google Lens:

Again I added the word recipe to the search bar:

Isn’t that amazing? It visually matches all the ingredients commonly seen in a dish like this and searches for the most relevant recipes.

Converting handwritten notes to text

I admit that I was skeptical about the effectiveness of this. Could Google Lens really convert handwritten notes into text?

Let’s try it.

I took a photo of it using Google Lens as shown in the screenshot above, selected the text and the copy option appeared automatically. From there, you can copy and paste the text to save it wherever you want.

I pasted it into my notes app, and this is what it looks like:

I will add a brief disclaimer that the more readable your writing is, the more accurate it will be. Note the number “6” instead of the letter “S” (this feature may require more contextual analysis to work best). It may not be perfect, but there are many uses. For example, you can use it to quickly retrieve a coffee shop’s Wi-Fi password, take a photo of your shopping list to save or share digitally, or record the name of something you’ll remember later.

You can also translate languages ​​in the same way. Just tap “Translate” instead of “Copy” from the options given.

Identify species of plants and other living things

Recently I house-sitted for someone who had moved out of town and one of my tasks was to water her plants. I’ll be honest: I’m not a plant expert and I was particularly curious about one. So I asked Google Lens to identify it for me:

As before, once a photo is taken or uploaded, the search begins automatically. You can scroll down for full results.

Speaking of results, it turned out to be a snake plant. Best of all, it doesn’t need much water unless it’s completely dry. I guess it saves me some time that I could spend writing!

Identify the names and market value of miscellaneous items

Google Lens was a huge help to me when I was moving and needed to start listing items to sell on Marketplace and eBay. It’s helpful to get the exact names, keywords, and specifications of items that you might not otherwise know.

For example, I didn’t know exactly what it was or if it was worth much:

Turns out it’s an emergency camping lantern that you buy online for just $10.

Identify travel photo locations

Have you ever seen a photo of a beautiful place with no name and been curious about where it was? Or maybe you wanted to see more? Well, now you can.

Google Lens managed to find the venue and location, which was South Yuba River State Park in California. You can also consult the ratings and reviews of the place:

Use it to catch a catfish

No, not real fishing. Have you ever talked to someone new on social media or a dating app, and you’re not sure if they’re who they say they are? You can reverse image search their photo using Google Lens to see if it appears elsewhere. Don’t fall in love with one love scamand beware of others common online scams.

The image in the screenshot is AI-generated for this example, so it’s unlikely to appear elsewhere, but the search returned similar images. You may be able to use it to find one of your lookalikes or check if anyone is creating fake profiles using your photos or content.

There are many uses for Google Lens that differ from traditional reverse image search. But that’s not it! There is many more ways to use Google Lens. I just appreciate to get more information about things I encounter in my usual life. You will never know what you will learn. It’s really fun, that’s for sure.