Google’s Magnifier App Takes A Page Out Of The Project Astra Playbook
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Summary
- Google’s Magnifier app is an accessibility tool, allowing users to magnify objects, read tiny text, and offers features like Lens integration, image sharing, and color adjustments via their device.
- The latest update (version 2.0.0.745828117) introduces a live-view text search feature, letting users find specific words in real-time simply by pointing their camera, without needing to snap a photo first.
- This new functionality streamlines the process of finding text, highlighting matching words in yellow and allowing users to cycle through all instances found on screen.
Google’s Magnifier app, as its name suggests, is a dedicated accessibility tool that lets Pixel users utilize their device’s camera to magnify the world around them.
The app not only lets users zoom in on faraway objects and tiny text on menus, it also lets users hop right into a Lens instance, share the snapped image, adjust the image’s colors with filters, contrast controls, brightness, and more.
Related
The app is the jack of all trades, and it has just gained new functionality that makes it all the more useful.
Magnifier is taking a page out of the Project Astra playbook, and it can now understand on-screen context to an extent. Via the latest stable update (version 2.0.0.745828117), available now on the Play Store, Google has integrated a live-view text search feature into the Magnifier app.
‘Find’ after snapping a photo (old)
The development, first highlighted by 9to5Google, is a quality of life addition that removes more hurdles that come with reading tiny text. For example, let’s say you’re looking for a specific dish on a restaurant menu. Previously, you’d need to snap a quick picture of the menu and use the ‘Find’ tool to look for quick keywords for the dish. If the Magnifier app found that specific word on the menu, it will highlight it in green, and even zoom in on it. That’s what the screenshot above highlights.
Now, the app is essentially reducing the steps needed to quickly find specific words by one.
‘Find’ in live view (new)
Instead of capturing an image first, Magnifier users can now simply point their device’s camera at the object of interest and quickly search for the word they’re looking for. Said words are highlighted in yellow. Users can then tap the familiar magnifying glass icon to cycle through all instances of the word found on the screen.
If version 2.0.0.745828117 of the Magnifier app is available to you, you can start utilizing the feature as soon as you update the app. If the new build isn’t available to you yet, you can sideload it from APKMirror.
