Google Gboard mobile phone input method tests new features: OCR tool "text scanning"

Thanks to CTOnews.com netizen Alejandro86 for the clue delivery! CTOnews.com, Nov. 3, foreign media 9to5Google found in the latest test that Google is about to add a new tool to its keyboard application Gboard: text scanning based on OCR technology.

According to reports, this feature is found in the latest beta version of Gboard Android, which is still hidden by default. The screenshot shows that this function can be dragged to the functional area above the keyboard, similar to "translation", "clipboard" and so on. Of course, if users want to use this feature, they must first grant permission to the Gboard camera.

▲ source 9to5Google, the following is the same as after opening "text scan", the keyboard originally located in the lower half of the screen will become a viewfinder, and users can capture and scan the text through the corresponding buttons. After pressing the "shutter" button, Gboard will highlight the text in the photo, click to complete the copy and paste, edit and other functions, select the text and insert it into the input field.

According to the foreign media's test, the text scanning accuracy built into Gboard is "almost the same" as other Google products, and the implementation is very simple and straightforward.

CTOnews.com note: prior to this, Google's Smart Lens Google Lens and Google's own photo album app Google Photos have built-in OCR text scanning and support for portraits, object recognition or integration.