Lens closed last year with a redesign inspired by Pixel Camera and more shortcuts in other applications to launch the visual search tool. Google is now testing a new Lens icon that better communicates its functionality.
As detected by Android Police, the new Lens icon has been detected at the top of the Google app in the search field. This placement, which appears next to the microphone icon, was introduced on Android in October. The shortcut has been on iOS for some time.
Instead of a rounded square, this logo is rectangular and shaped like a DSLR. Still composed of four colors, blue is the most dominant, taking the lens, the upper left corner and the viewfinder. Green remains the least prominent in the upper right position.
This change is not widely implemented today, and Rajan Patel of Google said it was just an “experiment to see if we can communicate better than touching that button will open the camera. It seems to be going well! “
Google is trying to increase the use of Lens. Today, it is available in the Assistant, Photos, camera apps, Search (Images) and Chrome when holding an image. Its placement in the Google app is already highlighted, but the company wants to increase the obviousness of the tool.
Lens has officially had two icons in its life. That said, when it was announced on stage in 2017, the company had a rectangular version that is not much different from what is being tested today. In fact, this variant also appeared in the retail packaging of the Pixel 2 and 2 XL – the first phones with Lens.
In the software, the icon has always been a rounded square. In 2019, Google made it less blocked with rounded corners and visual separation to look more like a viewfinder than a square camera. The company was also behind another icon last year.
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