Google’s latest Now on Tap update shows more info for selected words & photos

The Now on Tap Android feature works across all apps, displaying relevant information for selected words, phrases or photos.

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Google announced today new updates to its Now on Tap feature for Android, making it possible to see more information about a selected word, phrase or photo.

Before today, the Now on Tap feature was a way to see more information about whatever you were viewing on your phone screen. With the latest updates, Now on Tap users can see more information on a selected word or phrase within an email, chat or news article.

“For example, if you’re reading a news article you can select a specific word, like crustacean, and get a definition and links to relevant apps.” says Google on its Inside Search Blog.

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The update also works within an image search by touching an image and the home button simultaneously. Google says the feature will work across all apps, not just within the Image search or your Google photos. Users can even use the feature via their camera app in real time.

“If you’re standing in front of the Bay Bridge, you can hold up your phone, open your camera app, touch and hold the home button, and get a helpful card with deep links to relevant apps,” writes Google product manager Aneto Okonkwo.

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Google says the latest update is available wherever you use Now on Tap, but the “word select” feature currently only works in English with other languages to roll out during the coming weeks.


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About the author

Amy Gesenhues
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Amy Gesenhues was a senior editor for Third Door Media, covering the latest news and updates for Search Engine Land, MarTech and MarTech Today. From 2009 to 2012, she was an award-winning syndicated columnist for a number of daily newspapers from New York to Texas. With more than ten years of marketing management experience, she has contributed to a variety of traditional and online publications, including MarketingProfs, SoftwareCEO, and Sales and Marketing Management Magazine. Read more of Amy's articles.

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