Google is rolling out beta testing for YouTube Shorts that adds Google Lens to the short-form video platform. The feature would allow watchers to search for more information on what they see in the brief content.
Once the feature is available, you can access it by pausing the Short. Lens will be available from the top menu, which you can use to highlight a portion of the video to search.
From there, Google Lens will overlay search results over the clip. Google breaks it down on a support page, which notes that the feature is only coming to iOS and Android mobile devices. The menu will also let you translate captions.
Once you're done with your search, you can close the Lens or swipe down at the top of the results to close them.
In an announcement post, Google noted that there won't be any ads in the search results, at least during the beta testing. It also says, "The Lens experience isn’t available for Shorts with YouTube Shopping affiliate links or with paid product promotions."
Presumably, this won't last when the feature comes out of beta. Likely, Google will add some sort of commerce integration or a Google Shopping feature down the line.
YouTube has been trying to make Shorts more prominent in the last few months, especially in the TV app, so it's not surprising that more features are coming out specifically for the short-form platform.
The new Google Lens feature is starting to roll out this week. Like many Google rollouts, if you don't immediately have access, give it a day or two.
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