Image Search is the ability to search on a term and find images related to what you typed. Most search engines offer it. But what if you have an image
and want to know its origin, or find similar photos? That's called a reverse image search. Google's reverse image search is a breeze on a desktop computer. Go to images.google.com and
click on the camera icon. You can then paste in the URL for an image you've seen online, upload an image from your hard drive, or drag an image from another window. But what about when
you're on a mobile device and want to do a reverse-image lookup? There are options. When you fire up
images.google.com on Safari, or Chrome on either iOS or Android, a camera icon won't show
up in the search bar. All you need to do to get it is to load the desktop
version on your mobile device. Another workaround is holding
your finger on an image until a pop-up menu appears. Pick Search Google for
This Image at the bottom. If, for some reason,
this doesn't work out, you can also select Open Image in New Tab. Then copy the URL, go
back to images.google.com, and paste in the URL. When the results appear, you may have to click on the
More Sizes option at the top to see only image results. Search By Image at
reverse.photos is another service you can use on your mobile device. Bing from Microsoft also
does reverse image searches with the same setup as
Google on desktop and mobile. Just go to bing.com/images,
tap the camera icon, and browse your photo library for the image you want to search. The latest versions of the
Bing app on iOS and Android let you snap photos and
image search it immediately. It also lets you upload
photos from your camera roll, scan QR codes, and scan
text or math problems. Just tap the camera icon next to the magnifying
glass on the home screen and choose how you want
to search for your photo. There are a few third-party
image search engines out there dedicated to looking up just pictures, two of which are TinEye and Yandex. There are also search engines geared specifically toward
helping creatives find out if their work has been stolen. Check out Berify and Pixsy for options. If you prefer reverse image search apps over using a web browser, check out Veracity, Search
By Image, and Reversee.
