Google Lens on iOS and Android has received a refreshed and streamlined design. Google Lens, a visual search tool, uses your camera to provide details about what you’re seeing. To use Google Lens, simply find the Google Search bar on your phone or in the Google app. On Android, the camera icon is located within the Search bar at the top of the screen, while on iOS, it appears directly beneath the Search bar in the Google app. Clicking the icon opens your camera, allowing you to capture something you wish to explore further.
Once the item is in your viewfinder, press the search button (or translate button if needed) for more information.
As part of a broader effort to tidy up its apps, Google has redesigned Google Lens to make it more user-friendly. When you open Lens now, there are only two options to choose from: Search and Translate. The “Homework” button has been removed. Google made this change with a good reason in mind. They prefer that users rely on Gemini AI for homework help instead, as it offers a more in-depth analysis and can explain how it arrived at an answer. Gemini can break down complex questions, solve them step by step, and offer a more educational experience.
This adjustment also contributes to the cleaner interface of Google Lens. The viewfinder on the Lens screen has been slightly widened for better usability. If you’re using the Search option within Lens, you can now activate AI Mode via the Search button to receive more detailed results about the item in your camera’s view.
The new look for Google Lens has been included in the recently launched Galaxy Z Fold 7. However, it hasn’t yet appeared on my Pixel 6 Pro running Android 16 QPR1 Beta. Interestingly, I was able to find the updated version of Lens on my iPhone 15 Pro Max, which was running iOS 26 Developer Beta 3.
Apple offers a similar feature on the iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, and the iPhone 16 series (excluding the 16e model). Known as Visual Intelligence, it’s accessible via the Camera Control button on the iPhone 16 series, with the Action Button option available on the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. Unlike Google, which uses cloud processing for Lens, Apple’s Visual Intelligence relies on on-device processing for its functionality.