WWDC 2021: Apple takes the fight to take to Google Lens, adds Live Text feature to its Camera app

Apple is gearing up to take on Google Lens with a new feature called Live Text. This feature will use AI to recognize text in photos through Apple’s Camera app. Live Text will allow users to turn photos of recipes or instruction into digitizing text without having to type it all out.

Live Text will be able to recognize text in over seven different languages. This is hardly a new feature for smartphones as Google and Samsung already have similar tools.

Craig Federighi demoed the feature at WWDC 2021, taking a picture of a whiteboard after a meeting, and a couple of snapshots that included restaurant signs in the background. Tapping the Live Text button in the Camera App underlined the detected text and then a swipe allowed him to select and copy the text. In one instance the feature was able to grab bullet points on a whiteboard and a phone number of a restaurant in another.

Apple uses “deep neural networks” and “on-device intelligence” to enable Live Text on iOS 15. Live Text works across iPhones, iPads, and Mac computers. Live Text will be arriving on iPhones with iOS 15 in the fall.

For all the latest developments at WWDC 2021, head on over to our Live Blog.