Google has brought so many innovations to the search engine game that it can be challenging to keep up with them sometimes. In addition to the significant overhauls to the platform that sometimes occur, there are also all of the different features that often get updates, some of which include the introduction of new features. This week it will be Image Search that gets the royal treatment. Here’s what you can expect from the latest version.
What To Expect
First of all, the updates will be for both the mobile and the desktop versions of Image Search. The announcement was made at the Google 20th Anniversary event in San Francisco, and the mobile version is going to be getting several new features. As for the desktop, it will be getting an entirely new interface.
Stories Feature for Mobile
Mobile is going to be getting a “Google Stories” feature, similar to what has been popularized by Snapchat and Instagram. In San Francisco, they showed some images of what the new feature would look like, with the images dominating the screen of a smartphone while a timeline was visible above. The feature appears to be highly customizable, and there should be further details of it released soon, including best practices for its use.
Some Ways to Use It
Google plans on creating several stories itself to get the ball rolling, featuring athletes and celebrities. That should whet the appetite of those who are interested in trying it out for themselves. Users will be able to tap through and get more information on their favorite personalities, while web articles can also be linked to from the stories.
Google Lens
Google Lens will be coming to Image Search at the same time. It already exists as a dedicated app and as part of the popular Google Photos; this is the expansion of it. Google Lens is genuinely innovative, as it allows users to learn about the world around them as they take photos with their phone’s camera. This version of augmented reality has long been discussed, and versions of it are finally now arriving. You could take a photo of a landmark, for instance, and learn all about its history. You might take a picture of a product in someone’s home and instantly see where it could be purchased online or in retail stores nearby.
There’s More to Come
During the press event, Google’s took a self-congratulatory tone in talking about the first 20 years of their existence. The topic of ranking images was discussed, and how doing so can lead to actionable content. A person might be looking for some product for which they don’t know the name, for instance, but by describing it and using Google Images, they might be able to locate it.
The whole team that had been sent by the search engine giant made it clear that more new tech was in the pipeline. 2019 is certain to be an exciting year for Google, as it ventures boldly forward into its third decade of existence.