Google Lens will let you copy/paste text from the real world

Google has used Google I/O 2018 to announce a rather slick new feature for Google Lens, allowing users to copy text from the real world.

The feature, dubbed smart text selection, lets you copy text from a physical document, then use it as you would any other bit of copied text. In a Google blog post, the company noted that you could use this function to copy recipes, Wi-Fi passwords, and gift card codes to your phone.

This isn’t the only new feature announced for the platform though…

Another Lens feature demonstrated at Google I/O was the ability to point your phone at real-world text to get answers (see the above image).

The third Google Lens feature shown off is dubbed Style Match, which allows you to search for objects and clothing in a similar style. This looks more like an e-commerce play if anything, serving up reviews and retailer listings in the process.

The final Google Lens feature is proactive searching, passively showing anchor points of information in your viewfinder. The company adds that it eventually wants to overlay live results (e.g. YouTube videos) onto real-world objects such as storefronts and posters.

Google also announced that Google Lens will be coming to camera apps. Several manufacturers (seen in the above image) would add Lens to their camera apps, name-dropping the Pixel 2 and LG G7 in particular.

The news comes a short time after Google started integrating Lens into the Google Assistant. Most recently, it landed on the OnePlus range of devices, but Samsung and LG phones have received the update as well.