Gboard is introducing 'Scan Text' feature for easier text copying from physical objects

Gboard, Google's popular keyboard, is initiating the deployment of a new 'Scan Text' feature on Android, which uses optical character recognition (OCR) technology to facilitate copying text from physical objects. The feature is a simplified variant of Google Lens's OCR, offering a speedier alternative for text copying.

The 'Scan Text' feature is located in the Gboard capabilities grid and can be moved to the toolbar for immediate access. Users need to grant camera permissions to Gboard to utilize the feature. After opening the Gboard keyboard and selecting the 'Scan Text' tile, users can photograph the text they wish to copy. Gboard processes the photo, highlights the recognized text, and allows users to select and insert the text into the input field.

This new 'Scan Text' feature was initially noticed in last November and is currently being rolled out to the most recent Gboard beta (version 13.9). However, it is not yet broadly available.