How to Use Google Lens to Identify Things Around You

Google Lens is a free tool that turns your phone's camera into a search engine. Instead of typing a description into Google, you point your camera at something. It could be a plant you can't identify, a product you want to find online, a menu in another language, a QR code, or a document with text you want to copy. Google figures out what it is and gives you information, links, or a translation right away.

Google Lens is built into Android phones and comes with the Google app. On iPhone, it's available inside the Google app and Google Photos. You can access it from the Google Search bar, from Google Photos, from Google Assistant, and on some Android phones through the camera app directly.

Common uses that people find valuable right away include identifying a plant or flower in your garden, and finding where a product is sold online just by pointing the camera at it. It can also translate a sign or menu from a foreign language, and copy text from a physical piece of paper, like a receipt or business card, into your phone. It can even solve a math problem by pointing the camera at the equation, or look up information about a book by pointing at the cover.

For seniors, the plant identification and translation features are often the most used — especially travelers who encounter foreign-language menus or signs and people who want to identify garden plants without knowing the name.