‘Look up’ app for Googlebooks appears on Play Store, currently works on phones

Google has released a 'Look up' app for Googlebooks on the Play Store, currently installable on phones, which lets users highlight text to open a floating window with dictionary, flight tracker, overview, and translator features, plus a conversational Gemini 'Ask a follow-up question' field. The app, with package name com.google.android.desktop.contextualtools, is intended for Googlebooks but is available on phones as of today, though Google will likely restrict it to the desktop platform soon.

Following Magic Pointer https://9to5google.com/2026/07/10/magic-pointer-google-play/ and Desktop Camera https://9to5google.com/2026/08/16/googlebooks-desktop-camera/ , Google has now released a “Look up” app for Googlebooks. Look up lets you “highlight a concept you want to explore, a new word, a trip destination, and more.” This opens a floating window, with screenshots showing a dictionary, flight tracker, “Overview,” and translator. The “Ask a follow-up question” field at the bottom provides a conversational Gemini experience. The Play Store icon is a pair of glasses badged by the Gemini spark. Google explains that “Look up will use publicly available information from the relevant Google service e.g. Search, Maps, Flights to provide the best response in a helpful format.” The desktop interface and package name — com.google.android.desktop.contextualtools https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.desktop.contextualtools — make it clear that this is for Googlebooks, though the app can be installed on phones as of today. When you highlight text, “Look up” will appear as a menu option. This brings up the floating panel with results. Google will presumably close this unintended availability on phones in short order. Look up is roughly analogous to a similarly named macOS feature “Look Up” when you right-click. More on Googlebooks: Final UI for Googlebook ‘Desktop Camera’ app revealed Gallery https://9to5google.com/2026/08/16/googlebooks-desktop-camera/ Here’s the first Asus Googlebook as the floodgates start to open https://9to5google.com/2026/08/04/heres-the-first-asus-googlebook/ Lenovo’s full-size Googlebook leak offers a closer look at hardware Gallery https://9to5google.com/2026/08/03/lenovos-googlebook-15-leaks/ FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More. https://9to5mac.com/about/ affiliate our homepage http://9to5google.com/ for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Google on exclusive stories https://9to5google.com/feature/exclusive/ , reviews https://9to5google.com/guides/reviews/ , how-tos https://9to5google.com/guides/how-to/ , and subscribe to our YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/9to5google