- Benefits of using Google Lens on vacation
- How to use Google Lens for menu translation
- Finding similar products with Google Lens
- Currency conversion with Google Lens
- Splitting bills with Google Lens
Going on a nice vacation this summer? Google Maps can come in very handy then, and so can the search engine. However, there is another app from Google that will help you further: Google Lens. Sometimes it takes a while to find where the app is (and sometimes you even have to download it separately), but it is advisable to do so. Here’s why.
1. To consult the menu.
It’s a bit of a corona-era thing, but many restaurants have kept the menu part in (rather than online ordering): a QR code on the table that allows you to view the menu online. The can be scanned and accessed with Google Lens. The advantage is that there is then often an immediate translation already available within the website you are directed to, the latest information can always be consulted, and you don’t have to have one of those sticky menus in your hands that has already been held by many previous guests. A little more hygienic, and you don’t have to wait for a waiter to bring the physical menu. Convenient!
2. To translate the menu instantly
Are you dying to have some kind of Mr. Bean moment because you accidentally ordered cold tartare in a French restaurant? Consulting the menu via QR code is convenient, but then you can’t see what exactly is what. With Google Lens, you can scan a menu that you have physically in front of you and in doing so, you can get a direct translation of what it says. That way you bypass things you don’t want to eat at all and feast on something you really craved, in part because you fully know what it says thanks to the handy translation feature.
3. Seeing what a dish looks like
You can’t go much wrong with a Nutella crepe, but if you like to know whether the cheesecake is baked or more cheesecake-like, you can use Google Lens to preview what a dish looks like. It doesn’t work with all dishes, but if you tap on the dish you can see what it looks like and what guests before you have said about it. That’s due to an integration with Google Maps, which still gives you just a little more information if you don’t want any surprises.
4. Know what a building is called
Are you walking through a beautiful place and want to let the folks back home know that if they ever go to Inssbruck too, they should definitely check out a certain building because it’s very beautiful? If you don’t know the name of the building, then that conversation can quickly become like Hints. Fortunately, Google Lens can help: all you have to do is scan the building and it lets you know its name under “places. That talks a lot easier.
5. Easier grocery shopping
Imagine you need blister plasters or something else specific, but you don’t know what it’s called. If you still have one, you can hold it in front of your lens and use the Lens app to scan it, showing you what it’s called. Also handy if you’re at a market but have no idea if you’re being ripped off massively in terms of price: you scan the product and Google instantly gives you its name and options to buy it online. So ideal if you want to ask someone if that product is on sale somewhere, or so you simply want to know if you got a good deal.
6. Find similar clothes
If you find out on vacation that you forgot your bikini bottoms, that’s pretty uncomfortable. Topless is certainly possible in some places, but the other way around becomes more complicated. If you would like to buy the bottom again quickly, you can either scan the top or use the photo of the product from the online store you got it from to see if a similar product is on sale (and where). If you do want it, but in a different color, you can also add a color via Multisearch, should you want to go for a fun mix and match.
7. Currency conversion
In Europe you will be fine with your Euros, but when you go to England, South Africa, Vietnam or another country where another currency is used, you will be at a loss for words, especially the first few days. All that conversion is often tiring and you want to be accurate when it comes to money. Google Lens can quickly convert by, for example, scanning a receipt, tapping the total price and opening the currency conversion screen.
8. Split the bill
While you’re at it with the receipt: did you know that Google Lens can also help calculate how to split the bill? It can’t do it at the product level, but if there are three of you and you’re all paying a third, Lens is your friend. That’s because when you scan the receipt, it can open a menu where you can split the bill. Note: not every restaurant is waiting for people to pay separately and it is also seen as a rather Dutch trait, so if possible, have one person pay and then send a payment request via your bank afterwards.