YouTube is starting to test Lens search in Shorts, a feature that will allow users to learn more about objects in videos, such as landmarks, plants, animals, or objects.
The feature will work on the YouTube mobile app. To use it, you need to pause the video, click the Lens button in the top menu, and then select an object, either by stroke or highlighting. After that, the user will see visual matches and search results displayed on top of the video. After reviewing the search results, you can quickly return to Shorts.
At launch, YouTube will not show ads in results and will not allow Lens to be used for videos with affiliate links. It also notes that Lens does not use biometric facial recognition, but can identify famous public figures.
The feature will begin rolling out in the coming weeks as a beta test.
Recall that in April 2025, YouTube again topped the ranking of the most popular platforms for viewing on smart TVs. The Google service accounted for 12.4% of the time that users spent watching content on TVs.