Last updated: November 2nd, 2023 at 16:52 UTC+01:00
With One UI 5.0, Samsung introduced a way to add text through the camera via Samsung Keyboard. It used the OCR functionality to scan text using the camera. Now, it appears that Google has liked that feature, and it is preparing to bring a similar feature to its own keyboard: Gboard.
Gboard could soon get Samsung Keyboard’s OCR functionality
Google appears to have developed the OCR functionality for Gboard. While the feature is still hidden and under testing, some folks have managed to find the feature and capture its screenshots. There is a Scan Text tool in the toolbar that activates the camera. However, before that happens, it needs camera usage permission. Once permission is granted, the camera takes up the lower half of the screen, and you can find the camera shutter button with the “Take a photo of words to scan” explanation.
Once the image is captured, it highlights all the text that can be seen in the image. The entire text is highlighted, but you can adjust what text you need to copy. Once the selected text is entered, the camera viewfinder remains open so you can capture more and enter text continuously.
A similar functionality. is also present in Google Lens, but you would need to open a separate app and juggle between apps. So, the Scan Text feature within Gboard is better for workflow. This feature is in testing internally and is hidden in the latest beta version (13.6) of Gboard. Hopefully, it will be released in the stable version soon, giving users more options, especially to those who don’t like Samsung Keyboard.
