Oslo, Norway – 29 October 2024 – Opera, the Norwegian browser company, is updating its flagship browser for Android with a set of features that enhance how users interact with the browser and delve deeper into the visual world around them.
Opera’s native browser AI, Aria, is now available without the need to first create an Opera account. It has furthermore been Image Understanding, allowing it to understand and explain the context of images.
Other additions to the new browser version include QR code sharing, the ability to import passwords from Chrome, and the new Opera One-based themes.
Improved AI features with Image Understanding
Image Understanding is an AI tool that uses photos or images as the input to help users learn more about the surrounding environment, solve problems, and more. To use Image Understanding, users can upload photos or take them directly with Aria on their phone. For example, while walking through one of Oslo’s parks, a user might snap a photo of a Norwegian spruce tree and ask what it is, allowing them to learn about a new species and expand their knowledge.
Aria has the ability to generate images, which is now powered by Google’s Imagen 3 Fast image generation model. Opera has also made Aria accessible without requiring users to log in, and users can generate up to five images for free without having to do so.
Beyond Image Generation, Aria also includes Voice Search, Webpage Summary, and Ask Aria, in which users can highlight any text and have the AI tool explain it for them.
In a new survey of Opera users*, 62% indicated that they would likely use Image Understanding for educational purposes, while 52% said they would use it while traveling or exploring new places.
“We’re committed to integrating new AI features that are practical for our users. With Image Understanding, we’ve added a feature that our users are clearly excited to test in a variety of contexts. Image Understanding is not just helpful—it’s fun too,” said Stefan Stjernelund, VP Product, Opera for Android. “It helps users visually understand the world around them and get quick answers to all sorts of questions while on the go.”
Beyond AI
Version 85 of Opera for Android includes several new features that further simplify the browsing experience. QR Code Sharing allows users to generate a QR code for any webpage they visit. Friends or colleagues nearby can immediately access the webpage by scanning the code, eliminating the need to copy links or send messages via third-party apps. This feature is especially useful when people using different platforms, such as iOS and Android, are together, making it a cross-platform solution that enhances accessibility and convenience.
Opera has also made it much simpler for people to switch browsers and make Opera their default: users coming from Chrome can now easily import their passwords to Opera for Android. This augments the existing capability of importing bookmarks from Chrome, so that user’s two main pain points in switching to a new browser are now addressed. Additionally, you can now store passwords in the Opera browser and autofill into other Android applications.
Finally, Opera for Android is introducing new Opera One style wallpaper with customizable theme colors, making sure mobile users can get the look from the newly released Opera browser for desktop.
See what an AI-centric mobile browsing experience can do for you – download Opera for Android today!
* The survey was conducted by Opera between 1 and 10 of October 2024, via SurveyMonkey. The target population was Opera for Android users located in the US, UK, Germany, and India. There were 1,300 respondents overall.
About Opera
Opera is a user-centric and innovative software company focused on enabling the best possible internet browsing experience across all devices. Hundreds of millions use Opera web browsers for their unique and secure features on mobile phones and desktop computers. Founded in 1995 and headquartered in Oslo, Norway, Opera is a public company listed on the Nasdaq stock exchange under the ticker symbol OPRA. Download the Opera web browsers and access other Opera products from opera.com. Learn more about Opera at investor.opera.com