Google Photos Now Lets You Search for Photos by the Text In Them

Google is rolling out a powerful new feature to its Googles Photos app: you can now search for pictures by the text found within them.

The optical recognition feature (OCR) was spotted and Tweeted by investor Hunter Walk, who shared that you can now click the Lens tool to select and copy text in photos to paste it elsewhere:


Can Duruk then responded to Walk with his discovery that Google Photos is actually applying OCR to all the photos in your library:


Google replied to Walk and Duruk, confirming that it’s a new feature being rolled out to all users:


“Starting this month, we’re rolling out the ability to search your photos by the text in them,” the Google Photos Twitter account says. “Once you find the photo you’re looking for, click the Lens button to easily copy and paste text. Take that, impossible wifi passwords”

The feature is being rolled out to users of both the iOS and Android app — if you don’t see it yet, just sit tight and it’ll land on your device shortly.

(via Google Photos via The Verge)

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