YouTube Shorts Now Lets You Search What You See Using Lens

Wondering how to find more details about landmarks, animals, or objects you spot while watching YouTube Shorts? YouTube has introduced a powerful new visual search feature integrated directly into Shorts, allowing users to instantly identify and learn about items seen in videos. Whether it’s a famous building in the background or an exotic plant, you can now tap, circle, or highlight any visible object to get quick, relevant search results without leaving the app.

This new Lens integration on YouTube Shorts enhances user interaction by combining short-form video entertainment with informative search capabilities. Accessible via the YouTube mobile app, after pausing a Short, simply tap the Lens icon, then select the item you want to explore. YouTube then overlays visual matches and related information directly over the video, making it easier to jump back to your content after exploring the search results.

YouTube’s rollout of Lens for Shorts follows Google’s broader push to expand Lens’s visual search technology, now enabling searches by video and aiding in shopping decisions by recognizing products seen in real-world environments. Importantly, during this beta phase, Lens avoids biometric facial recognition to protect privacy, though it may identify notable public figures. Ads are currently disabled within Lens search results to keep the experience smooth and distraction-free.

For content creators and viewers alike, this update opens new opportunities for engagement and discovery. By making it easier to access information instantly, YouTube Shorts becomes a more immersive platform, blending entertainment with learning. 

Stay tuned as YouTube continues to refine this feature, eventually expanding its availability and possibly integrating it with Shorts featuring shopping links. For now, visual search on Shorts provides a fresh, intuitive way to interact with videos, enhancing both user experience and content discovery.