Google recently unveiled a new feature for its Assistant known as the “Search Screen,” which harnesses the power of Google Lens. This innovative addition serves as a seamless replacement for the “What’s on my screen” function. Following its initial announcement in February, the feature is now being gradually rolled out to various Android devices.
Unlike the previous “Lens” shortcut, the key distinction of the enhanced “Search Screen” lies in its consistency. Formerly, the appearance of Lens was not assured on every screen, rendering it an unreliable tool.
Conversely, the “Screen search” option consistently manifests in the Google Assistant panel, with the exception of the home screen. In practical tests, it has proven to be a reliable alternative to manually capturing screenshots and forwarding them to Lens, either through the system share sheet, the Pixel Launcher shortcut (awaiting the new logo update), or the downloadable app icon from the Play Store.
“Screen search” performs an effortless analysis of the user’s current screen using Google Lens, which has recently undergone updates with a light theme and various visual enhancements. Among the available filters are Translate, Text, Homework, Shopping, and Places.
As of the latest Google app beta (version 14.31), “Screen search” is being progressively deployed on multiple Pixel devices. However, its global rollout is still underway and will continue over the forthcoming months, as previously indicated by Google.