If you want to know what search by using images or image reverse search is about, and how to do it from your cell phone, then this information is for you.
You will find all the steps needed to find images from your phone, and all the different uses that you can give to this functionality.
The most usual way of doing a search on web browsers is through words and key phrases.
But, this isn’t the only way of making a search. Did you know that it is also possible to make a search via photos?
Well, you should know that it is possible. This method is also called reverse image search. It’s called like that because, by using a picture that you already have, you can find the origin of it and of similar pictures.
To answer all of your questions about the topic, you can move around the following menu and discover everything that you need to know about searching by using images.
Tabla de Contenido
- What is reverse seaching used for?
- What are the steps needed to make reverse searches via image on Google?
- Websites that allow you to make a reverse image search from your cell phone
- Alternative apps for reverse searching images
- Google’s solution to allow you to search by image from your cell phone
- Other famous search engines that use reverse image search
- Conclusions
What is reverse seaching used for?
There are many situations in which searching via images is useful. For instance:
Imagine that you have a wonderful photo that you want to use for a project, but you don’t know the origin of it, and you want to know if it has copyright.
And vice versa. If you are the owner of one or many images, and you want to know if someone’s been using them without your authorization, you could use a search via images.
If the pictures of someone who interest you on their social media look almost like from a magazine cover, and you want to know if they are using someone else’s pictures, you could use a search via images to find out.
Even on websites specialized on helping you find a lover and wedding agencies use reverse image search to identify fake accounts.
Travelers and tourists also use searches via photos to find the location of their next adventure.
Photographers and journalists depend on reverse photo search to identify the original version of a photo, the date when it was published, and verify if someone’s been using their pictures.
You just saw a pair of shoes or the dress of your dreams in a showcase, and you want to compare prices with other stores. Well, just take a picture and look for similar products on the Internet.
These are just some of the most frequent uses given to it, so, with your imagination, you’ll find many more ways to use searches via image.
What are the steps needed to make reverse searches via image on Google?
Below, we will see the step-by-step procedure to make a reverse search by an image on Google, both from a desktop computer and from your cell phone.
How to search via images from your desktop computer
For a laptop or a desktop computer, the procedure is the following:
1. Access to images.google.com.
2. Then, click on the camera-shaped icon.
3. A text box with the name “Search by image” will show up. It will show two options: the first option will ask you to paste the picture’s URL, while the second one will give you the option of uploading or dragging an image.
4. Once you select an option that suits your needs or available information, you will only have to press the “Search by image” button, and the result will show up on the screen.
The results can be sorted by the picture’s creation date, and you’ll be able to find versions of that picture with different sizes and other modifications.
Browser extensions that allow you to make a search by images
Some of the web browsers that allow extensions to make an image reverse search are Google Chrome and Firefox. With these browsers, the only thing that you’ll need to do is to right-click on the image so that the web browser makes the search.
Other extensions that promise you a good experience while using Google Chrome’s search by image are:
For Firefox, the available extensions are the following:
How to look up images from a cell phone
Whenever you need to search by image from a mobile phone, you have the following options available:
Search by photo on Google
Method 1
Even though you can access Google’s search engine on mobile devices, the mobile version does not have the camera icon that we had previously mentioned.
For this reason, some users go to Google Chrome’s app, which gives you the possibility of configuring the app to make it look like the desktop version.
This can be done by clicking on the dots on the upper right corner. Then, you need to choose the option “open web browser”. The option could also make the app to look like the desktop version.
This way, you’ll be able to make a search by image from your cell phone. However, this may be uncomfortable for some users since the screen is smaller than a desktop computer screen.
Method 2
Another method that you could use, which doesn’t require you to change the web browser’s configuration, is the following:
1. Select the picture that you wish to look up on the internet (from an article or a website.)
2. Press and hold the picture. A menu will appear with many options.
3. Choose “Search this image on Google.” This is the second to last option of the list. The result will show you all the pages and articles in which that picture has been used.
One of the limitations of using this method from your cell phone is that it doesn’t give you the option of uploading an image that is stored on your device.
But don’t worry. There is a wide array of options available where you could choose from, which include websites, as well as apps that serve as a bridge to let you upload images to Google.
And, of course, there are solutions that the big Google has designed specifically for mobile devices.
Below, we will show you many options so that you can choose the one that best suits to your needs.
Websites that allow you to make a reverse image search from your cell phone
Some websites that allow you to make searches by image from your cell phone are:
These online tools work quite similarly to each other. To make a reverse image search on mobile phones, you will only need to follow these simple steps:
1. Access the website.
2. Select the photo that you want on your phone.
3. Click on “upload image.”
4. Then, click on “show matching images.”
5. You will see the result on your screen. It is very simple.
Alternative apps for reverse searching images
Some of the best apps to make searches by image from a cell phone from developers other than Google are:
| App Name | Operating System |
| Veracity | Free for IOS |
| Reverse | Free for IOS |
| CamFind | Free for IOS |
| Bing Search | Free for IOS |
| Search By Image | Free for Android |
| Image Search | Free for Android |
| Búsqueda de imágenes:PictPicks | Free for Android |
| Reverse image search (Multi-Engines) | Free for Android |
| CamFind: Motor de búsqueda visual | Free for Android |
Follow the links to download the app that attracts you the most, get into action, and begin your image search.
Google’s solution to allow you to search by image from your cell phone
Google thinks about everything, which is why it has created tools that allow us to search by image from Android devices such as Google Lens.
This is an image recognition app generally included in Google Photos, which allows you to recognize objects or images, and also allows you to find information and reviews about these instantaneously on the internet.
How to make a search by image with Google Lens
If you want to obtain information about an object, an image, or a specific place, you’ll only need to follow a series of simple steps.
The first thing that you need to know is that you can access to Google Lens via Google Photos or from Google’s Assistant on Android devices, and it is built-in into the camera’s app on Pixel devices.
Search by image from Google Photos
To make a search by image using Google Photos, you’ll only need to access the app, and then click on Google Lens’ icon.
The next step is to select an image that you want to look up on the internet to get its information.
Lastly, click on “search” or “search similar products.” It’s as simple as that.
The most general use that is given to Google Lens is of comparing features and prices of products to make a purchase decision.
However, you could make even more things with this function. Other uses that you could give to this app are the following:
• Read and save data of a business or presentation card.
• Find reviews, comments and summaries of books that pique your interest to help you in your buying decision.
• Adding important dates on your calendar from a billboard or an event flyer.
• Finding reference points of a specific place. For instance, you could use it to find a museum and its business hours.
• Finding out your pet’s breed, and even identifying the species of a plant and learn about all of its properties.
Search by image from Google’s Assistant
It is very simple to do. On your Android device, access Google’s Assistant. Activate it by pressing the microphone button, and say the phrase “OK, Google.”
The next step is to press the Google Lens button. Then, aim at the object of interest with your camera.
Lastly, press the image that appears on the screen so that the app makes the search.
You could also make key questions, and ask the assistant to store the information in your mobile phone. For instance: What’s this? How long is this? How much is it?
Also, Google has launched two new complementary functionalities, which has the fashion industry as its main target.
They are called Similar items and Style ideas, which make the user able to find similar products and fashion ideas.
The reason for making these apps is that Google knows the electronic commerce trends. Which is why it offers users these tools, since they help buyers and sellers to meet each other.
Other famous search engines that use reverse image search
Reverse image search has revolutionized electronic commerce, since the positioning of a website or an article not only depend on keywords.
Nowadays, images give the buyer the option of finding the article that they wish, while giving the seller the opportunity of improving their positioning on their niche market. Amazon and Pinterest know about the great potential of searching by images, and they are already taking advantage of it.
By using a photo on Pinterest, you could find a lot of pictures to inspire you and, with tools such as Shop the Look and How to Wear It, you could identify the matching products in the photo that are being sold on the internet. With these tools, you could see the links to buy the products that you want.
Meanwhile, the giant Amazon offers the Amazon Flow app, which allows you to search by image to find information about the products that attract your interest, and to buy them on its platform.
Conclusions
Now that you know all the different uses that you could give to searching by images, and that you know how to make a Google search from your desktop and your cell phone, you can start searching by using images.
Also, now that you know the different ways that allow you to make a search by images other than Google, which include websites, apps, and other software, we hope that you’ll enjoy them and that you take advantage of them to their fullest.
Regardless of whether you are a buyer or if you have an online business, this information will be very useful to you while buying or offering your products.
You already know that you have the chance of finding products, services, or places of interest via Google, Pinterest and Amazon while using the aforementioned technology.
Artificial vision and augmented reality are no longer fiction. They came to revolutionize electronic commerce and make your buying decisions easier.
Now, besides using keywords on search engines, you have the opportunity of searching via pictures or photos. This is quite the innovation, isn’t it?
So, explore all the options, and choose the one that best suits your needs, and remember: a picture is worth more than a thousand words!
