Google wantsChrometo dominate not only PCs, but also mobile devices. There’s no doubt that Chrome is one of themarket’s leading browsers, and that’s likely to continue as long as it keeps picking up new features at its current rate. If you have Chrome installed on your Android phone, you probably already have access to a number of handy features that enhance your browsing experience. For the iPhone-toting users, some of those features are rolling out to Chrome on iOS this week and in the coming months.
First up is the ability to browse the web using your phone’s camera thanks to newGoogle Lensintegration. The search giant has already integratedLens' visual search toolsinto Chrome on Androidand the web, allowing you to use a new search method that can identify what you see in addition to searching for things by typing.
Long-pressing an image on a web page on iOS already brings up Lens and allows you to search. The latest update will let you directly use your iPad’s or iPhone’s camera to do things like find out where your friends got their brand-new phone accessory, search for matching furniture in your living room, or see if that Pokémon pillow you saw in a cafe is for sale online.
The Google Lens button is already available on Chrome’s address bar on Android phones, and it’ll make its way to iOS devices in the coming months, according to Google’sblog post. In April of last year, Googleadded Lens-powered multisearch capabilities to Chrome, allowing you to search using both text and images.
While this particular feature is not immediately available, the rest of Chrome’s new capabilities on iOS are, including improvements to the browser’sGoogle Mapssupport. This means that if you press and hold an address on a web page, a mini-Maps view will appear to show you the location. This eliminates the need to manually enter the address into the Maps app.
Speaking of which, you also no longer have to switch from Chrome toGoogle Calendaron iOS if you want to create an event. By pressing and holding a date on a web page, you’ll see an option to add it to Calendar. A sheet will then appear to automatically populate the app with time and location information. After that, tap the “Save” button in the top-right corner.
Finally, Google Translate support has gained new improvements on iOS. The browser can now translate a portion of a page if you choose a certain line of text and tap theTranslatebutton.
These new features arrive a year after Chrome on iOSpicked up equally useful capabilitieslike Chrome Actions, and they’re part of a broader effort to make your search experience more intuitive.
