YouTube tests Google Lens button with object detection, OCR-based search on Android: report

YouTube should offer improved functionality with the integration of a new Google Lens button, according to the report. A new option to perform searches using Google’s visual search tool has been added to the top panel that includes the search bar in the YouTube Android app, allowing users to snap a picture of an object and search for it on the video-streaming platform. The feature is rolling out to users now, which means that not all users will see it on their smartphones right away.

Google Lens on YouTube

According to a report from 9to5Google, the YouTube app on Android has been updated with a new Google Lens button that brings support for the company’s visual search tool to the popular streaming platform. It is shown to appear when searching for videos, with a microphone button that allows users to dictate search terms instead of typing them.

Google Lens can identify objects in the viewfinder by comparing them to similar images on the Internet. It is also claimed to be able to translate more than 100 languages ​​in real time. Google also says it can provide step-by-step instructions for solving homework. In addition, it is also equipped with an optical character recognition (OCR) function, which allows it to recognize text on images.

According to the publication, users will reportedly be able to take pictures of objects using Google Lens and perform searches on YouTube. In addition to the search bar, the Lens icon is reportedly also appearing at the top of the search results page on YouTube for Android.

Gadgets 360 staff members have not been able to verify the availability of this feature on YouTube for Android. The report suggests that the Google Lens integration is being rolled out in phases and that not all users may see it on their devices right away.

YouTube is testing Dream Screen support

YouTube also recently began testing a new Dream Screen feature for Shorts that will add custom AI-generated green screen images to videos, according to a company blog post. To use it, creators can simply provide a text query describing what they want in the background.

This feature is speculated to be aimed at creators who prefer to use creative backgrounds to stand out in their videos without requiring resources. Google says it’s an experimental feature, meaning only select Shorts creators will have access to it.