Your phone’s camera can do a lot more than take photos. Point it at a menu in another language and read it in English. Snap a page of notes and paste the text into an email. Find out what that plant on your balcony is called. That is Google Lens, and once you start using it, you will reach for it surprisingly often.
Here is how to use Google Lens on any device, followed by ten everyday tricks that make it worth knowing.
Where to find Google Lens
On Android: Lens is built into most phones. You can open it from the Google app (tap the camera icon in the search bar), from the Google search widget on your home screen, or from Google Photos by opening a picture and tapping the Lens button. Many recent Android phones also support Circle to Search: press and hold the home button or navigation bar, then circle anything on the screen.
On iPhone: install the free Google app from the App Store and tap the camera icon in the search bar. Inside the Google Photos app, the Lens button works on any photo. In Chrome for iPhone, you can press and hold an image and choose Search with Google Lens.
On a computer: in Chrome, right-click any image or blank part of a page and select Search with Google Lens. A panel opens with results. You can also drag a box around just part of the page.
1. Translate text in real time
Open Lens, tap Translate, and point the camera at a sign, menu or label. The translated text appears right on top of the original, in roughly the same font and position. It works offline too if you download the language in Google Translate first, which is handy when traveling without data.
2. Copy text from paper into your phone
Tap Text, point at a printed page, a whiteboard or even neat handwriting, and select the words you need. You can copy them, listen to them read aloud, or send them straight to your computer if you are signed in to Chrome with the same Google account.
3. Identify plants, animals and objects
Point Lens at a flower, a tree, a dog breed or a mushroom and it will suggest what it is, with links to learn more. It is right most of the time for common species, but please never rely on it to decide whether a wild mushroom or plant is safe to eat.
4. Get help with homework
The Homework option recognizes math problems, chemistry questions and more, then shows step-by-step explanations and related resources. Treat it as a tutor that explains, not a machine that does the work for you, and it becomes a genuinely useful study tool.
5. Shop for something you have seen
Spot a lamp in a café or shoes on a friend? Take a photo with Lens and tap Shopping. It finds the same or similar products online, often with prices from several shops so you can compare.
6. Save contact details from a business card
Point Lens at a business card and it detects the phone number, email and address. Tap the suggestion to add a new contact without typing a single letter.
7. Learn about landmarks and places
Aim it at a building, monument or restaurant front and Lens pulls up its name, history, reviews and opening hours. It is a nice way to turn a walk in a new city into a tour.
8. Find where an image came from
On a computer, right-click a picture and choose Search with Google Lens to see where else it appears online. This is useful for spotting fake product photos, catfishing profiles or images taken out of context in viral posts.
9. Scan QR codes and barcodes
Lens reads QR codes and product barcodes. Before opening any link from a QR code, read the address that appears. Scam QR codes stuck over real ones in car parks and restaurants are a growing problem, and our guide on how to check if a website is safe explains what to look for.
10. Ask a question about what you see
After taking a photo, you can type a follow-up question, such as “what is this pattern called” or “how do I clean this”. Lens combines the image with your question to give more targeted results.
Privacy tips
Lens sends the images you search to Google to process them. If you are signed in, searches may be saved to your Google account activity. You can review and delete this from myactivity.google.com. Avoid pointing Lens at documents with sensitive information like IDs or bank statements.
If you like smart tools like this, our guide on how to use AI assistants safely and effectively is a good next read, along with these Google Drive tips. Google keeps its own instructions on the Google Search Help center.
Quick recap
Now you know how to use Google Lens: open it from the Google app, Google Photos, Chrome or Circle to Search, then point and tap. Use it to translate, copy text, identify things, shop, save contacts and check where images come from. It is free, fast, and probably already on your phone.
