Google Assistant’s new Search screen feature may finally be ready for prime time (original) (raw)
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Google Search is easily accessible on all the best Android phones, be it through Assistant, Lens, the Search widget, or features like Touch to search. All these utilities serve the same purpose — reducing the time taken to ask Google for answers after we see something intriguing on our screens. However, we have waited several years for a proper replacement for Assistant’s “What’s on my screen” capability. Now, it appears Google is rolling out a new Assistant chip called Search screen as a lasting alternative.
A few years ago, Google Assistant’s What’s on my screen option allowed you to look up information for anything currently displayed on your screen. It was faster than taking a screenshot and looking it up using Lens, and it was easier than memorizing phrases and then using conventional Search queries. However, What’s on my screen had one major issue — it wouldn’t show up reliably on all Android screens when summoned.
Late last year, What’s on my screen became a Lens feature, but year after year, we have awaited its revival, fruitlessly. Google talked about a suitable replacement called Search screen at the Search AI event in Paris earlier this year. Like the feature it replaces, Search screen is an Assistant command that uses Lens to deliver search results. Now, this new option appears to be rolling out widely, 9to5Google reports.
Moreover, testing suggests the option shows up without fuss whenever summoned, except on the Pixel Launcher home screen. The new feature shows up as a chip when you summon Assistant powered by version 14.31 of the Google app in beta. For now, the feature is visible on many Pixel devices, and availability is set to expand.
Google promised a rollout in the coming months at the Paris event earlier this year, so we hope this time we get a lasting replacement that works as intended. Since it is essentially a link between a screenshot, Assistant, and Lens, though, you can use the screenshot workaround we mentioned earlier until the feature goes live for you.