Google has released an important update to Google Goggles, the app that lets you search via snaps you take.

The new opt-in, Android-only feature allows Google Goggles to work in the background on your phone or tablet, and analyze photos as they're taken. The app will automatically notify you when any search results match your captures — without you asking for them.

"Let’s say that I’m going on vacation, and I decide to use my Android-powered phone as my primary camera," Google software engineer Pavel Vodenski explains in a blog post. "Goggles would identify landmarks, paintings and other interesting objects in my photos. I can share these facts about my vacation with my friends, right from my Goggles search history."

It may sound like a small tweak, but it has interesting implications. Android users no longer have to think about querying Google by image. Instead, they can snap photos as they normally would, and discover information on books, landmarks, artwork, businesses and products. Google Goggles could, in theory, become more assimilated into the default mobile experience for Android users.

Version 1.6 of Google Goggles is available for Android 2.1 and up. Users can select "Search by Camera" in the settings to enable background searching.