Google has announced that availability of Lens on KaiOS devices through the Google Assistant. Right now, the feature is available to those in India by heading to Assistant (press and hold the centre button from the home screen), pressing the camera icon, and then pointing the phone at some text. Users can then have the writing read back to them if they cannot read themselves, or have it translated or defined.
Right now, Lens on KaiOS supports several languages including English, Hindi, Bengali, Telugu, Marathi, and Tamil. In the future, Google will extend support for the Kannada and Gujarati languages. Pressing the right soft key once within Assistant will let you access the different languages.
Commenting on the launch of Lens on KaiOS, Google said:
“This is another step in our commitment to make language more accessible to everyone, and we hope this will enable millions of KaiOS users across the country to have a more seamless language experience.”
According to the latest information on StatCounter, KaiOS is currently the third most popular mobile operating system in India. KaiOS attempts to bridge the gap between feature phones and smartphones by keeping the former’s form factor but including some features, like Google Assistant, that you’d find on a smartphone. Due to the form factor, these devices are more affordable for those with a lower income.