How to use 'edit screenshot' feature of Google

Screenshots are common smartphone traits we take for granted. Whether they are snippets of information we send to educate or some ridiculous memes we just need to laugh at, screenshots are extremely nifty. However, Android devices don’t yet possess an option which is a common sight in iPhones.

Google has decided to change that by integrating within Android a feature to let you manipulate the screenshots. You can use this to refine the screenshot before sharing. No updates have come out yet, but the beta version of this feature can be used in 7.21 version of the Google app. Google is slated to roll out the feature soon, 9to5Google observes.

Being a free and open platform, Android is highly customizable and most Android smartphones are supplemented with modified skins. These may already have an option to edit screenshots instantly after capturing, but for stock Android, this is relatively fresh.

We all know Google works in secrecy before releasing any statements, but 9to5Google reports state that Google has been working on this new feature for quite some time, and the testing began in April 2017. It is expected to incorporate several upgrades before being made available to mass consumers. The working is detailed below.

Once the update has been installed, the feature is added to Accounts and Privacy. To view it, go to Settings and tap on Accounts and Privacy. Towards the end of the list, you’ll see 'Edit and share screenshots.’ This is a toggle that needs to be active if you’re going to use the feature. Tap on it once to enable it. Post that, take a screenshot, and invariably, a panel materializes on the screen that permits you to edit, preview, and share it with other apps.

To edit the screenshot, you need to choose the edit option by touching it. This prompts in the picture editor - a basic one, which you use to doodle on the image or re-size it to your preference. With the editing done, the image can be saved in the usual manner, by tapping the tick icon. The screenshots you grab and edit will be saved in the pre-existing Screenshots folder within the phone.

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After saving, the app shoots up a share menu where you can choose the receiver of the image. The sharing option further allows you to share the image to different apps within the Google app or from within a Chrome tab. This feature of Google functions throughout the app, including search results, feed, or the web pages you visit through Chrome tabs.