Learn how to use Google Lens, Microsoft Lens, and other OCR apps on Android to recognize and copy text from photos like on iPhone.

The Live Text feature in Photos, Safari apps and other places in iOS lets you copy text from pictures and even videos on your iPhone, iPad, and Mac.

Stock Android versions lack this capability but Google (which owns Android) provides the dedicated Google Lens app which can recognize, copy and translate text on images. Besides, Google Play Store has plenty of third-party apps such as Microsoft Lens and ocrX that make it a cinch to identify and extract text from JPG or PNG images. In this tutorial, we’ll show you the steps for these and other apps.

Microsoft Lens

Microsoft Lens lets you scan documents, recognize handwritten text in English, identify text in 29 languages, and more. The app is free to use and works great on iOS and Android.

1. Download Microsoft Lens on your Android phone, open the app, and give it necessary permissions.
2. Swipe to the Actions tab and select the image from your gallery.
3. Crop the image if needed, then hit Continue.
4. Lens will extract text from the image and show it as raw text. Tap Copy to save it to the clipboard for pasting into other apps or hit Share to send it to people or apps.

Google Lens

Google Lens has tons of capabilities, including showing relevant products based on pictures you take, translating street signs in more than 100 languages, helping you with homework, extracting text from images, and more. Lens is also provided inside several Google apps and services as a built-in feature.

Use any of the methods below to recognize text on photos. The apps we’ve listed are preinstalled on many Android phones. Otherwise, download them for free from Play Store.

The Google Lens app

1. Open Google Lens app and choose a photo from the gallery.
2. If the image has lots of text, Lens will recognize it automatically and display a Select text button. Tap it to select all text at once, and then hit Copy. You can also touch and hold the highlighted text to select a specific portion to copy.

These steps are the same for other Google apps mentioned below.

The Google app

Tap the Lens icon in the Google app or its Home Screen widget, then select an image, touch and hold the recognized text and hit Copy.

Google Photos

Open an image in the Google Photos app and tap Copy text from image. This will open the Lens app, letting you copy the recognized text from there. If the image isn’t solely textual, tap the Lens icon instead to copy words and sentences.

Google Chrome

If you use Chrome on your Android phone and stumble upon an image online whose text you want to copy, touch and hold the image on the page and select Search image with Google Lens. Now, touch the text to copy it, have it read aloud, translate it into another language, or perform a web search for it.

Google Keep

Google Keep’ built-in text grabber performs poorly, but we’ve detailed the steps below for those who use the service extensively. Note that even Google Keep for iOS lacks the text grabber.

1. Open the Keep Notes app on your Android phone and tap the plus button, followed by Image > Choose image. Select the image from your gallery and tap Add.
2. Tap the image you just added to take it fullscreen.
3. Hit the three vertical dots from the top right and select Grab image text.

Other third-party apps

Having tried over two dozen OCR (Optical Character Recognition) apps for Android, I can recommend ocrX to be the best for extracting and copying text from images. The steps for ocrX are explained below, along with honorable mentions of other decent apps.

ocrX

1. Download and open ocrX on your Android phone.
2. Tap the New button and select the picture from your gallery.
3. Crop the picture if needed to only focus on the text you want to extract.
4. Choose a language (i.e., English) and select Yes or No for Handwritten Text. Next, tap the Extract Text button.
5. After a few moments, the app will recognize the text and show it to you. Unlike many other OCR apps, ocrX honors paragraph and line breaks for the final text as they appear on the bitmap image. Tap the copy button from here to get this text to the clipboard.

Other apps

You can also try trusted OCR apps such as Adobe Scan, Text Scanner, Image To Text, Text Scanner, Text Fairy, and OCR Image to Text Converter for copying text from images. They’re free to download but may require a sign-up to use or a paid upgrade to unlock the full functionality.

Some manufacturers may offer a native OCR option

iPhones have standardized look and feel across the board. Contrast this with Android phones, which can differ wildly in features and user interfaces.

Manufacturers like Samsung and Apple offer a way to extract text from images with the built-in camera. Just point the camera at a real-word object that has some text on it, like a street sign or a flyer, and hit the T icon to recognize and copy the text. This also works inside Android’s Gallery app.

What are your use cases for extracting text from images?

Also, check out: How to scan documents directly using WhatsApp and send them

Source link: https://www.idownloadblog.com/2025/04/23/how-to-select-text-from-image-android/

Apple is fined for breaching the Digital Markets Act over rules preventing developers from telling iPhone users about cheaper web payments.

Today, the European Commission fined both Apple and Meta for violating the European Union’s Digital Markets Act. The Commission slapped the iPhone maker with a hefty fine of 500 million euros, which works out to about $570 million. Meta must pay a fine of 200 million euros, or about $230 million.

That’s peanuts to Apple, which earns more than $1 billion in revenue each day, on average. But the reputational damage Apple has suffered in the eyes of developers and its customers is immeasurable. This is the first penalty that the bloc issued against the American technology giant under the Digital Markets Act.

Apple fined for violating the EU’s Digital Markets Act

The Digital Markets Act says that gatekeepers like Apple must permit app developers who offer apps on the App Store to “inform customers, free of charge, of alternative offers outside the App Store, steer them to those offers and allow them to make purchases,” the European Commission wrote in today’s press release.

At the heart of the issue is Apple’s user-hostile anti-steering rule, which bars developers from even informing its customers about more affordable subscriptions and other payments that are available on websites. Apple imposes this rule to force developers to use its In-App Purchase mechanism, which lets it collect its fee.

By permitting developers to steer their users to these web payments, Apple would effectively rob itself of the proceeds via fees. As a result of Apple’s policy, you and I end up paying more when purchasing subscriptions in apps. This is also why apps like Netflix that have opted out of the In-App Purchase feature only display the login button without any explanation as to how to sign up for the service.

The Commission has ordered the Cupertino tech giant to “remove the technical and commercial restrictions on steering and to refrain from perpetuating the non-compliant conduct in the future,” which includes adopting conduct with an equivalent object or effect.

Default apps, browser choice screen

Separately, the Commission announced the closure of its probe against Apple over default app settings on iOS, the browser choice screen and the ability to uninstall any preinstalled apps, including core apps like App Store and Camera. Bureaucrats in Brussels found no wrongdoing on Apple’s part as the company adequately changed the process for setting a new default browser on the iPhone.

“Apple also made it easier for users to change default settings for calling, messaging, call filtering, keyboards, password managers and translation services on iPhones,” reads the decision. “A new menu now allows users to adjust their default settings in one centralized location, streamlining the customization process.”

“In addition, users can now uninstall several Apple pre-installed apps, such as Safari — a functionality previously unavailable,” the Commission wrote.

App sideloading and scare screens

The changes Apple previously made to permit alternative app stores in the EU and the ability to download and install apps directly from the web didn’t impress the European Commission. It found that Apple’s Core Technology Fee, which developers who sign up for web distribution must adhere to was basically put in place to disincentivize developers.

“Apple also introduced overly strict eligibility requirements, hampering developers’ ability to distribute their apps through alternative channels,” it wrote. “Finally, Apple makes it overly burdensome and confusing for end users to install apps when using such alternative app distribution channels.”

Apple will have a chance to respond to these findings and convince the European Commission that these scare screens that people in the EU see when trying to download apps from the web or use alternative app stores don’t actually breach the Digital Markets Act.

Meta’s “consent or pay” model

The Commission also fined Meta over its “consent or pay” advertising model in the EU, which gave Facebook and Instagram a choice between consenting to personalized advertising or paying a monthly subscription for an ad-free service. But Meta didn’t offer those who wouldn’t consent access to a less personalized alternative model that’s equivalent to the personalized ads service.

Both Apple and Meta are required to comply with the Commission’s decisions within 60 days> Otherwise, the companies risk “periodic penalty payments” that could reach up to approximately 0.1 percent of their respective annual revenue.

Last but not least, the Commission has leveraged the Digital Markets Act to force Apple to allow third-party alternatives to critical system features such as AirDrop, AirPlay, Apple Watch integration, seamless AirPods pairing and others in the name of interoperability, with these changes coming in iOS 19 and iOS 20.

Source link: https://www.idownloadblog.com/2025/04/23/european-commission-fines-apple-meta-digital-markets-act-breach/

Popular cellular service option Google Fi is celebrating its 10^th anniversary this week, and according to a blog post shared by Google, this means big things for not only Android users, but also iPhone users who choose to connect with the world using Google Fi’s service.

Google Fi, a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) that utilizes the T-Mobile network in the United States, is introducing a newer and more affordable unlimited plan called Unlimited Essentials that features unlimited phone calls, text messages, and 5G data, but with a catch. 30GB of that unlimited data each month is considered “high speed,” while the remainder would be throttled until the customer’s next billing cycle.

Because of the MVNO’s plan restructuring, Google Fi will be changing the terms of its Unlimited Standard and Unlimited Premium plans to make more room for its new Unlimited Essentials plan.

The Unlimited Standard plan was previously limited to 35GB of high-speed data and 5GB of high-speed hotspot tethering, which has now been increased to 50GB of high-speed data and 25GB of high-speed hotspot tethering. The Unlimited Premium plan, on the other hand, was previously limited to 50GB of high-speed data, but this plan now features 100GB of high-speed data. 50GB of high-speed hotspot tethering is included.

Outside of new and updated plans, Google Fi says that Apple device integration is tightening with newfangled support for data-only eSIMs, which allow iPad users (in addition to Android tablet users) to connect to Google Fi even if that tablet doesn’t support a physical SIM card.

Moreover, iPhone users who take advantage of the Google Fi network will finally be able to listen to their voicemails in the native Phone app’s voicemail function rather than using Google’s Fi app to accomplish this task.

Google Fi also announced limited-time promotions for new and existing customers. New customers who switch to Google Fi can get the Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel Watch 3 for free. Some of that will come in the form of instant savings, while the rest comes in monthly credits over 24 months. But if you’re an iPhone user, this might not matter as much to you.

Do any of the new announcements pertaining to Google Fi interest you? Tell us in the comments below.

Source link: https://www.idownloadblog.com/2025/04/22/google-fi-10-year-anniversary-announcement/

You’ve probably heard about camera backpacks and slings, each of which have their advantages when you’re trying to travel lightly or moderately. But if you’re interested in bringing a whole kit along with you for the ride, then you might necessitate hard case that can protect all your gear against dropping and crushing.

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When I decided I wanted to go out with something a bit larger than what I could fit in my camera backpack, namely for nature and outdoors photography, I decided I needed something bigger. Carrying longer lenses like a 600mm prime lens, 200-600mm zoom lens, or 400-800mm zoom lens require something extra to ensure no damage to the lens barrel occurs. That’s where rigid containers like those made by Evergreen can be of use.

Evergreen Seahorse 920

My hard case is an Evergreen Seahorse 920 with a camera accessory divider kit in the trunk part of the case and a lid organizer attached to the lid part of the case. The result is a highly versatile container that I can fill with all my necessities for any situation and then throw into my car for my next great adventure. And the best part of the hard case style is that I can stack things on top of it without worrying about crushing what’s inside.

You can configure the Seahorse 920 with any kind of insert you want, whether that’s the divider style that I have, a pluck foam that you can form to whatever you’re packing, or absolutely nothing at all. You can also choose whether to have the lid organizer, but as a photographer, this was a no-brainer as I wanted somewhere to put all my camera batteries, SSDs, cables, and other necessities for a longer trip away from the desktop.

A larger case like this is perfect for longer super telephoto lenses, which you would almost certainly want if you’re taking a hike to photograph birds and other animals that you don’t want to disturb from afar. These longer lenses are too long to fit into any of my camera bags, which is why the hard container like this one makes more sense in this case.

Normally, you don’t want to keep longer lenses attached to your camera body during transportation because of the risk of damaging the mount flange, but with a hard case such as this, there’s no chance of pressure penetrating the rigid walls to cause such damage. This means I can set up much faster in most fast-paced environments, such as capturing photographs of birds.

The divider system works perfectly for my needs, employing a Velcro system to allow effortless customization of the dividers as I see fit. In my case, I’ve dedicated one side to my lenses and the other to tripods and other gear that I might use depending on the situation. If my needs ever change, I can just re-form the dividers for that next necessity and there’s no problem. If you should choose the pluck foam, you can get a more air-tight and cushioned fit, but you’ll only be able to configure the foam once.

When I shift gears for drone operations, I can easily retrofit the divider inserts in my Evergreen Seahorse 920 to fit my DJI Mavic 3 Pro drone, the controller, several batteries, and other drone-related essentials.

The lid organizer, which I alluded to earlier, fits all the smaller accessories that you’d otherwise have no idea where to put and zips them up so they’re secure. With this organizer, my camera batteries, memory cards, SSDs, cables, chargers, and everything else you’d want to have on-hand are carefully organized separately of the main gear so that they aren’t tumbling and scratching up against said gear.

Ready for your next adventure

The Evergreen Seahorse 920 can get heavy when fully loaded, which is why the built-in wheels and retractable grab handle make it convenient to tote around. The three heavy duty handles all around this case make it easy to remove from a car and place on the ground, from which you can activate the retractable grab handle and roll the rest of the way.

Evergreen uses RimFlex shock absorbing wheels, which are not only quiet, but smooth. You won’t hear that annoying growl of plastic wheels on the pavement, nor will you have any vibration traveling through your wrist from uneven plastic wheels digging into the sidewalk or pavement. These wheels glide effortlessly.

Evergreen also knows that the contents of your box might be important to you, so they offer locking mechanism options based on how you will use your case. You can choose between Twist Lock latches, as I have on my case, or you can get keyed metal locks. I opted for the Twist Lock latches because there are already padlock slots if I need extra security, but I can still get into my case effortlessly in the field if I need to.

You can also rest easy knowing that the contents of your Evergreen Seahorse 920 are protected from the elements and made to MIL-STD 810F standards. It’s IP67 water and dust proof, designed with stainless steel hardware that resists rusting, and is incredibly resilient to crushing and impacts. For even the most extreme packers, Evergreen says the box will stay afloat in water with up to 80 pounds’ worth of equipment inside.

While my case is black, you can also opt for gray, blue, or yellow color choices. If you need your case to be high visibility because you’re worried about it going floating down a river somewhere or you fancy being able to spot it in a crowded venue, I think the yellow color would suit you more adequately.

As a bonus, Evergreen’s Seahorse line of cases is designed and manufactured in the United States of America and feature a lifetime warranty against defects in material and craftsmanship. Have a problem with your case? They have your back.

My thoughts on the Evergreen Seahorse 920

I love photography, so filling this case up with camera equipment is my primary reason for owning it. For my uses, it works well for large loadouts, packing longer lenses, and ensuring I have all the accessories I might need on hand for any situation.

I particularly appreciate that it makes handling easy with handles on two out of four sides, a retractable pull handle, and smooth wheels that glide across any surface as if it were a handheld Cadillac. All of this without any worry that my equipment will be damaged because of great internal organization and padding, as well as its IP67 rating and ability to float in water.

Being able to change up the interior to fit whatever I have in my case at any given time is a huge advantage of the adjustable dividers, but the option to choose pluck foam or no interior organization whatsoever make this a versatile case that you can use for just about anything – even if that’s not photography. I think the lid organizer further enhances this aspect.

If I had only one gripe about this case, it’s that there’s nowhere to really put a laptop or tablet, so that’s something I carry around separately. There’s plenty of room for everything I’d connect to my laptop or tablet, but not the workstation itself. Still, I can go on plenty of trips without a laptop or tablet and just edit my images when I get home, so this isn’t a deal-breaker for me.

Here is a short list of pros and cons that I’ve devised while testing the Evergreen Seahorse 920 case:

Pros:

• Extremely rugged – crush resistant, weather resistant, dust resistant
• Floats in water with up to 80 pounds of gear inside
• Spacious with many organization options ranging from dividers to foam
• Different color options depending on visibility needs
• Smooth wheels with a convenient retractable pull handle
• Carry handles on both the short and long sides of the case
• Big enough for extremely long camera lenses
• Locking capability ensures contents are safe
• Designed and built in the USA with a lifetime warranty

Cons:

• No dedicated space for a laptop or tablet
• Option unavailable for getting pluck foam with the lid organizer
• Affordability – while fairly priced, cost rises rapidly with different organizer options

Where to get one

If you’re interested in getting an Evergreen Seahorse 920 case of your own, then you can head over to Evergreen’s website and configure the case how you want it. The price ranges depending on how you configure it, including the following:

• Evergreen Seahorse 920 Empty Case – $175
• Evergreen Seahorse 920 Pluck Foam – $221
• Evergreen Seahorse 920 with Dividers – $252
• Evergreen Seahorse 920 Empty with Lid Organizer – $269
• Evergreen Seahorse 920 with Dividers and Lid Organizer – $312

Various configurations of the same case are also available on Amazon, potentially with lower prices and with faster Prime shipping, depending on your needs.

Conclusion

For a case that seems like it can be used for almost anything, from camera equipment to camping gear, the Evergreen Seahorse 920 seems like the perfect packing companion that should be considered for anyone wanting to take a lot of stuff with them on a long trip.

It’s more resilient than a soft backpack and spacious enough to contain even some of the larger things you might need to bring with you, such as a longer camera lens, in my case.

Source link: https://www.idownloadblog.com/2025/04/22/evergreen-seahorse-case-review/