Google Lens has to be one of the most underappreciated Android apps, capable of transforming your phone’s camera into a powerful investigative tool. Multisearch for Google Lens, which combines image-based search with text prompts to help users find exactly what they’re looking for, is arguably the next biggest step forward. Following a limited geographical rollout last year, this tool is now being deployed globally.
Google announced multisearch for Lens in April of last year, giving users the ability to steer Lens results in a more helpful direction without having to switch to text-based vanilla Search or start over with a new image search. For example, you could perform an image search for a yellow dress in front of you and then enter a text prompt to see if it is also available in green.
A feature called multisearch near me enabled relevant results focused on local businesses later on. It could allow you to search for nearby restaurants serving Chinese cuisine, for example, and then narrow down the results to only those that serve vegetarian food.
Multisearch launched in the United States in October, before expanding to India in December. Google announced today at its event that multisearch for Lens is now available globally. Multisearch should work as long as Lens is available in your area. However, if you were hoping to use multisearch near me, you may have to wait a few months — a broader rollout appears to be in the works, but no timetable has been set. Web multisearch is also a few months away, at the very least.
With such granular and convenient Search utilities, it’s no surprise that Google claims that over 10 billion people use Lens every month. New features are also in the works, such as the ability to look up any content on your screen, which we eagerly await.