New Gboard OCR Feature Rolling Out for Android, Bringing Easier Text Scanning

Are you tired of manually typing out text from the real world into your digital documents or messages? Google’s Gboard, the default keyboard app for Pixel and select Android devices, is here to save you time with its latest feature: Scan Text.

Gboard’s Scan Text feature utilizes cutting-edge optical character recognition (OCR) technology to seamlessly transform text from your camera into editable text within your apps. Gone are the days of laboriously transcribing text; now you can simply point, shoot, and insert.

Here’s how it works:

1. Accessing the Feature: Look for the ‘Scan Text’ icon in the Gboard tools grid. For quick access, drag and drop the icon onto your keyboard’s toolbar.

2. Granting Permissions: Upon first use, grant Gboard permission to access your camera.

3. Capturing Text: Open the Scan Text tool within Gboard, then frame the text you want to scan using the camera viewfinder. Tap the ‘Take a photo of words to scan’ button.

4. Selecting Text: Gboard will highlight the identified text. Simply tap and drag to select the specific text you need.

5. Inserting Text: Once satisfied with your selection, tap the ‘Insert’ button to seamlessly place the scanned text into your document or text field.

This feature is not only a time-saver but also incredibly accurate, as observed in testing on devices such as the Pixel 7a and OnePlus 11.

With Gboard’s Scan Text feature, text scanning is now more convenient than ever, eliminating the need for third-party apps like Google Lens. Whether you’re a student, a multitasker, or simply someone who values efficiency, this feature is a game-changer.

Keep an eye out for updates as this feature continues to roll out, and streamline your text input experience with Gboard today.