You can now download Google Lens as a standalone app

If it's not already on your Android device, Google Lens is now available as a standalone app from the Play Store.

Lens is useful if you see something but don't know exactly what it is, or want more information. Launched at Google I/O last year, the intelligent camera allows you to identify an artwork, landmarks, or even dogs (albeit not so well).

The feature also allows you to scan barcodes and also text, allowing you to translate words, call a number, add an event to the calendar, and even simple copy and paste.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

The standalone app will serve as a quick launch to those features, but according to the Play Store it will only run on devices with Marshmallow and up.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Even then, based on some initial user reviews the app doesn't seem to work on some devices, with one user reporting the app doesn't work on their Galaxy S7 Edge running Oreo, and another user running a Motorola Moto G4 on Nougat.

Lens has already come to Pixel and the Pixel 2, and most recently the Sony Xperia XZ2 and XZ2 Compact, as well as some OnePlus devices.

For the rest of us with other phones, seeing if Lens will work for you is a bit of experiment -- for the time being, anyway.