Google Gboard will Soon Feature Scan Text Feature for Android

News Tech & Trends

by Kapish Khajuria November 6, 2023 0 comments

Highlights

• Google is updating Gboard for Android with a new “Scan Text” capability.
• This program allows users to extract text from photos, just like Lens does.

Google is developing a brand-new “Scan Text” function for the Android Gboard. The new feature utilizes “Optical Character Recognition” to extract text from photographs taken by the phone’s camera and allows users to paste it anywhere they wish. This is similar to how the Lens app can distinguish text characters from images.

The new option is said to be included alongside the current “Translate” and “Proofread” toggles, per a recent 9to5Google story. When users tap on it, a viewfinder appears on the bottom half of the screen, allowing them to select an already-taken shot or take a new one. But it needs the user to allow Gboard to access the camera on the device.

How will this innovation work with Gboard?

When “Scan Text” detects text in an image, it highlights the text that can be entered in any text field. After pasting text, the tool remains open for users to extract text from other images. The report also suggests that OCR accuracy is similar to other Google products such as the Lens app. The new feature is currently available in Gboard for Android 13.6 beta, but it is not yet clear when it will be available to everyone.

Over the past few months, Google has brought a number of new features to Gboard, including a new resizing option that lets users adjust the height of the keyboard to their preference, and a new split keyboard interface.

The accuracy of Gboard’s built-in text scanning should strictly meet the standards set by other Google products using similar technology. The implementation appears to be simple and user-friendly, providing a seamless way to use OCR technology to extract and process text in a keyboard application. 

This update from Google marks the integration of visual recognition technology into everyday mobile activities, improving the usefulness of Google Gboard for Android users. With this new feature, Gboard aims to make text extraction easier by allowing users to easily and efficiently capture and process text directly from the keyboard.