After the introduction of Google Assistant to smart feature phones running KaiOS in 2017, Google is now adding support for Google Lens.
Google Assistant’s debut on KaiOS smart feature phones have enabled the devices to have access to handy features like integrated voice typing, voice-based language selection, and support for native languages in India.
At Google I/O 2019 event, camera-based translation was added to Google Lens which let anyone with an Android or iOS smartphone to understand any text they encounter in real-world by just pointing the camera at the text.
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This functionality is now being extended to even more people. Starting today, Google Lens is now available on KaiOS-powered feature phones in India.
“This is another step in our commitment to make language more accessible to everyone, and we hope this will enable millions of KaiOS users across the country to have a more seamless language experience,” the company said.
KaiOS users can use Google Lens by launching Google Assistant – through long-pressing the centre button from the home screen – then clicking the camera icon. Or, by simply pressing the right soft key once within Assistant to access Google Lens.
Although Google has not said if the feature would arrive in other places like Africa, I expect to see the same since KaiOS is also available on the continent.
As per now, the feature is exclusively available in India; hence, no surprise that it only works with English and several native Indian languages. Google, like other US tech companies, has put an enormous focus on the Indian market.
Last week, the company partnered with Jio, “to build a value-engineered Android-based Operating System .” Google has also announced that it will inject $10 billion in India’s digital economy over the next 5-7 years.
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