There's still no word when Lens will be available for all, but this is a giant step forward.
Screen burn-in issues aside, the Google Pixel 2 and 2 XL are filled to the brim with incredible software features that help the phones stand apart from the competition. This includes the likes of Now Playing, improvements to the already great HDR+, and (of course) Google Lens. Lens is still in a preview state on the Pixel 2 and 2016 Pixel tucked away into Google Photos, but Google will soon be making it much easier to use with direct integration in Google Assistant.
We already knew that Lens would be coming to Assistant at some point in the future, but the date for when that would happen wasn't very clear. However, thanks to a couple of Googlers on Twitter, we now know that Lens will make its way to Assistant within "a few weeks."
We're adding Lens into Assistant in the next few weeks. All still a preview - start narrow, will beef up as we go. Thnx for playing with it!
— Aparna Chennapragada (@aparnacd) October 20, 2017
We're bring Lens to the Assistant in a few weeks. Polishing the UI a bit and ensuring that the assistant specific features work well.
— Rajan Patel (@rajanpatel) October 20, 2017
In order to use Lens on the Pixel and Pixel 2 right now, you need to take a photo with the camera, let the image process, go to said image, and then tap the Lens icon. Even for Lens being in a preview mode, this is still far too clunky for legit real-world use. Thankfully, when Lens comes to Assistant, you'll be able to use the feature by prompting the Assistant and then tapping the Lens icon. A viewfinder within Google Assistant will pop up, and you'll be able to get results from Lens in real-time.
"A few weeks" isn't the most precise release window in the world, but it's still a light at the end of the tunnel.
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