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Microsoft's Bing adds new Visual Search features to Android app

The new features will let you take a picture of something with your phone, and Bing will try to identify it and provide links for more information.
By
June 22, 2018
TL;DR
  • Microsoft is adding new Visual Search features in its Bing app for Android, along with the Microsoft Launcher app.
  • It will allow owners to take a picture with their phone, and allow Bing to identify what’s in that image.
  • Bing will also give you more info on what’s in the picture with web search links.

Microsoft is giving Android and iOS owners a new way to find out more information about the outside world with new Visual Search features that are powered by its Bing engine. It will be using AI-driven features to help you discover more about objects and products from photos taken by your smartphone.

Microsoft says the Visual Search features will work with the Bing app on Android and iOS, the Microsoft Launcher for Android, and the Microsoft Edge app for Android. iOS support will be added later. Using one of these apps, you can take a picture of an object or landmark and the Bing engine will then try to identify it, and also offer links for more information on that object.

This same feature can also be used if you find a product in the real world, but don’t know anything about its brand or where to buy it. With the Visual Search features, you can take a picture of it, and the Bing app will return images of products that look similar to the one you have found. It will also send you info on where to buy those products, as well as their prices. Microsoft says it will be adding more improvements to Bing’s Visual Search features over the coming months.