Google’s new Arts & Culture app update lets Android users match photos of their pets to world-famous artworks. Finding a pet’s art doppelganger is a pretty simple process, but the possibilities are seemingly endless. Google is no stranger to adding useful new features to its popular apps, and its Arts & Culture is no different.
The Google Arts & Culture app started as an online database that debuted 10 years ago, aggregating high-resolution media of famous artworks from various art galleries and museums. However, in recent years, it gained even more traction when the tech giant added a new feature in its app, which lets users match their selfies with the app’s eclectic art collection, basically allowing them to find the art version of themselves. Now, Google continues to update the app with new features that could make it just as viral yet again, giving users more reasons to stick around to its established apps ecosystem.
In its blog post, Google announced the arrival of its Arts & Culture app’s new Pet Portraits feature, which will instantly be available upon updating the app to its latest version. Using machine learning and its “trained computer vision algorithm,” the feature will be able to match a pet’s selfie with the most fitting artwork among thousands of renowned art pieces. Users will not only be able to view their pets through art vision lenses, but they can also delve further into the artwork’s history to learn more about their pets’ cultural counterparts.
How To Find Your Pet’s Art Form Using Google’s App
To get started, Android users should search for “Google Arts & Culture” on the Play Store and tap on Install. Those who already have it should simply tap on ‘Update.’ The gist of the feature is similar to TikTok’s shapeshifting trend, albeit a more simplified version, using traditional, historic portraits instead of pop culture icons. After opening the app, users should first click on the photo icon in the middle. This will take them to a menu where Pet Portrait will likely be the first option they’ll see. All users need to do here is to select “take a photo,” position their pets’ faces to fit the center box, tap on the center button then let the app work its magic.
Afterward, the app will show the artworks that match the users’ pets, starting from the most accurate to the least. To see the artwork’s history, users should tap on it, select “view artwork,” scroll down, then tap on the ‘Details’ tab. Here they’ll find information and external links regarding their chosen piece. Users can basically use pictures of their pets and find various eerily similar-looking scenarios and thought-provoking artistic equivalents. Currently, the app only works with dogs, cats, birds, fish, reptiles, horses and rabbits. iOS users shouldn’t have to worry about missing out on the feature, even with Google and Apple’s sticky app history. The Arts & Culture update is also available via the App Store.
