Topline
A guide on how to reverse image search using multiple devices.
A magnifying glass is photographed with Google logo displayed on a laptop screen for illustration ... [+]
Key Facts
Although Google is typically the preferred platform for reverse image search, there are other websites, like Behave a girl, Labnol and Dupilchecker.
One of the most controversial methods for using reverse image search is to catch a catfish (a person pretending to be someone they’re not), which has been used on MTV’s show Catfish.
What Is Reverse Image Search?
A reverse image search is the use of a photo to search online without text. If the exact image doesn’t appear, very similar ones pop up. There are three main ways to use this feature, The first is to check if there’s any plagiarized information in the text sent. The second method is finding information about a photo. For example, if someone uploads a picture of you, they can typically find personal information like phone number and home address. Lastly, you can use Google Images to find similar things. You may find the cheaper version of something you like when searching with Google.
Reverse Image Search On Mobile Devices
In order to complete a reverse image search on a phone, you have to first download either the Google Chrome or Google app—Safari does not support this capability.
- Search with an image from files. First, you must open the Google app. Next, click the camera icon and give the app permission to access your camera and gallery. Once this is done, images from the gallery and camera roll will appear—select the image you’d like to reverse image search. The app will then begin generating images similar to the one searched. It will even offer the ability to select different items in the image to search, like a shirt or pair of pants.
- Search with an image taken on the phone. Open the Google app and click the camera icon. Then, you click “Search with your camera” at the top. Use the camera to take a picture of whatever object you want to search. The platform will then pull images it deems are visual matches. And if it’s a product, it will generate similar products that you can shop.
- Search images from the search results. Open the Google app and click on the search bar. Next, either enter the text for the image you want to search, or use the voice-to-text option by clicking the microphone. Click the “Images” tab at the top to only view the image search results. Tap an image from the search results to select it and click the camera icon in the bottom left corner of the image. The platform will then populate images related to the search.
If you want to save any of the results, just click the three dots and select save. This will add the image to the “favorite images” folder, which can be accessed from the “tabs” icon.
Reverse Image Search On A Computer
To reverse image search on a computer, Google must be used. There are two methods to do this:
- Search with an image from files. Navigate to Google and click the camera icon to search by image. You can either search for the image in your files or drag and drop it into the “Drop your image here” section. Once uploaded, you’ll be navigated to a page containing similar images.
- Search with a URL. The second option is to use a website’s URL to search. Go to Google and click the camera icon. There’s an option at the bottom to paste an image link, drop your link in this section. Once done, related images will populate.
There’s also a plugin extension called RedEye Reverse Vision available on Google Chrome. The extension has the same capabilities as the website.
Further Reading
Google Introduces Powerful Google Photos Search Upgrade (Forbes)
Google Reveals Smart New Search Feature For Google Photos (Forbes)
