Google is making one of Android’s best features easier to use on Chrome and iPhone

Have you ever been browsing the internet and happened upon a product you knew you needed? In some cases, identifying that product can be a challenge, especially if it’s not on a retailer’s website. If you own an Android device, you could solve that problem with Google Lens, which the company first introduced in 2017. But now, at long last, Google Lens is coming to Chrome.

Google Lens comes to Chrome on desktop

Google Lens is an image recognition technology that surfaces relevant information about objects that it identifies in photos and videos using visual analysis based on a neural network. Put simply, Google Lens can tell you more about the stuff you’re seeing. Over time, Google has expanded the integration of the technology to include the Google Photos apps on iOS and Android as well as Google Assistant on OnePlus phones. The integration is getting even deeper in the coming days.

As 9to5Google notes, Google Lens is currently available on iOS through Google Search. In a blog post this week, Google revealed that Lens will soon be added to the Google app as well. Once the feature arrives, iPhone users will see a big button that reads “Search images” at the bottom of the Google app’s built-in browser. Tap it “to make all the images on a page searchable.”

Google is also bringing Lens to its Chrome browser on desktop computers. When the feature rolls out, “you will be able to select images, video and text content on a website with Lens to quickly see search results in the same tab — without leaving the page you’re on.” This is going to be a huge boon for shoppers who want to quickly identify any products on the page.

Other announcements from Google’s Search On ’21

Lens was the highlight, but there were other shopping-related announcements from Google this week as well. For example, browsing for clothing, shoes, and accessories is now easier than ever on mobile. If you search for “cropped jackets,” Google will show you a visual feed of related items in different colors and styles. There will also be more information like local shops, style guides, and videos. You can go even further by filtering your search by style, department, brand, and more.

Additionally, Search will do a better job of surfacing local stores. If you’re looking for a fish tank nearby, you can search for it and then select the “in stock” filter to see if they’re available near you.

You can watch the recording of the full Search On ’21 event below in the embedded YouTube video: