Google Photos just got some useful AI tools with Google Lens integration

Google Photo and Google Lens have become one in the latest update.

What you need to know

• Google Photos now has more access to Google Lens tools.
• Users can copy, search, hear, or translate text from images using Google Lens.
• The new functionality should be rolling out to users that have both apps installed.

Google Lens has received a bit of attention lately with a couple of new updates. Earlier this year, the app received offline translation capabilities, while the most recent update brought a new gallery view for easy access to screenshots. Now Google Photos is getting in on some of the fun with new tools integrated from Google Lens.

Android Police noticed that the new tools would surface whenever a user brought up a photo with visible text. The tools are accessible when swiping up for details, and users can select which section of text they want to interact with. Google Lens will present the option to copy, search, listen, or translate the text.

Copying text will bring up the additional option to copy the text to a computer signed into Chrome with the same credentials. For Windows PCs, the feature seems only to work if the Chrome browser is open, but users can paste the text anywhere outside of the browser. The experience is likely more streamlined for owners of the best Chromebooks.

Integrating Google Lens deeper into the Photos app can come in handy, making better use of Google’s AI chops. It’s unclear if the new integration is tied to a specific version of Google Photos, but it does require that the user have both apps installed on their phones. Fortunately, most of the best cheap Android phones come with the Photos app preinstalled, and Google Lens is easily downloadable from the Play Store.