The short answer
- Google’s homework help is free and lives in four places: Google Lens (point your camera at a problem), Circle to Search (circle a problem on an Android screen), Gemini with Guided Learning (a tutor-style chat), and AI Mode in Search (upload a photo or PDF and ask).
- Quickest route: open the Google app, tap the Lens camera icon, point at the question, and read the explanation, steps and linked videos.
- Socratic is gone. Google merged Socratic into Lens in 2025; socratic.org now redirects to Lens’s homework page.
- Photomath is Google’s too. Its Basic plan is $0 with step-by-step explanations; Plus costs $9.99/month or $69.99/year.
- Age matters. Gemini’s Guided Learning is open to all ages, but its quizzes, flashcards and study guides were limited to 18+ (as of August 2025). The free year of Google AI Pro announced in August 2026 is for eligible US college students, not K-12.
- Use it to learn: try the problem first, ask for hints or “explain step by step, don’t just give the answer,” then redo a similar problem on your own.
Google now offers homework help in more places than most students realize: the camera, the phone screen, the Gemini app and the search box itself. All four are free at the basic level, and all four will hand over an answer if you let them. This guide shows how each one works, what it costs, who can use it, and how to set it up so it teaches instead of just solving.
What counts as “Google homework help” in 2026?
Four tools, one company. Google has built homework features into products most students already have:
| Tool | Where it lives | Best for | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Lens | Google app (Android, iOS) | Photo of a printed or handwritten problem | Free |
| Circle to Search | Supported Android phones | A problem already on your screen (PDF, slide, web page) | Free |
| Gemini + Guided Learning | Gemini app and web | Tutor-style back-and-forth on a topic | Free; paid plans add features |
| AI Mode in Search | google.com/ai or the AI Mode button | Uploading a worksheet photo or PDF and asking questions | Free; some features 18+ |
| Photomath | iOS and Android app (owned by Google) | Step-by-step math from elementary school through calculus | Basic $0; Plus $9.99/mo or $69.99/yr |
The tools overlap. A math problem can go through any of them. The difference is mostly about where the problem sits (paper or screen) and whether you want a quick explanation or a longer conversation.
How did Google’s homework tools get here?
Through acquisitions and steady feature additions since 2018. The timeline below explains why older articles still mention Socratic and why Photomath now carries Google’s name.
| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| Mar 2018 | Google acquires the homework app Socratic (disclosed publicly in Aug 2019) |
| May 2022 | Google agrees to acquire Photomath |
| Mar 29, 2023 | European Commission clears the Photomath deal; Photomath then had 300M+ downloads in 30+ languages |
| Oct 30, 2023 | Search and Lens add step-by-step math and science help, geometry from diagrams, and about 1,000 interactive 3D diagrams |
| Jan 17, 2024 | Circle to Search announced; available from Jan 31 on Pixel 8, Pixel 8 Pro and Galaxy S24 |
| May 2024 | Circle to Search gets homework help for math and physics word problems, powered by LearnLM |
| 2025 | Socratic merged into Lens and discontinued |
| Jul 31 to Aug 6, 2025 | Gemini Guided Learning and study tools roll out |
| Aug 2025 | Free year of Google AI Pro offered to students in the US, Japan, Indonesia, Korea and Brazil |
| Aug 19, 2026 | New offer: one free year of AI Pro for US college students (redeem by Dec 31, 2026) and a Gemini Student Hub |
How do you use Google Lens for homework?
Lens is the fastest way from a paper worksheet to an explanation. Google describes Lens homework help as covering math, history, chemistry, biology, physics and more, with results that include explainers, videos and web pages.
- Open the Google app and tap the camera (Lens) icon in the search bar.
- Point the camera at the question, or pick a screenshot or photo from your gallery.
- Choose the Homework option if your version shows one, then crop the box to just the question you are stuck on. Option names vary by app version.
- Read the explanation and steps, and open a video or web result if the first explanation does not click.
- To ask a follow-up, press and hold the shutter button and say or type your question, for example “why does the negative sign flip here?”
Cropping matters more than people expect. A tight crop around one question gives a focused explanation. A photo of the whole page invites Lens to answer everything at once, which is exactly the habit you want to avoid.
How do you use Circle to Search for homework?
Circle to Search works on anything already on your Android screen. It launched on select premium Android phones in January 2024, and Google added homework help at I/O in May 2024, describing the goal as “a deeper understanding, not just an answer.” It covers math and physics word problems, and Google later added symbolic formulas, diagrams and graphs.
- Open the homework on your screen: a PDF, a photo, a slide or a web page.
- Long-press the home button or navigation bar.
- Circle or highlight the problem with your finger.
- Read the steps in the results panel without leaving the app you were in.
Google has not published one current list of supported phones that we could confirm, so the simplest check is to try the long-press on your own device. When Google announced the homework feature in 2024, some math word problems required opting in through Search Labs.
How do you use Gemini’s Guided Learning?
Guided Learning turns Gemini into a tutor that asks before it tells. Google launched it on August 6, 2025 and described it as a “personal learning companion” that asks probing, open-ended questions, breaks problems into steps, and adds visuals, videos and quizzes. It runs on LearnLM capabilities folded into Gemini 2.5.
- Open the Gemini app or gemini.google.com.
- Turn on Guided Learning (look for it among Gemini’s tools; where it sits in the menu varies by version).
- Describe what you are working on, or upload a photo of the problem.
- Answer Gemini’s questions instead of skipping ahead. The point is that it checks your thinking.
- Ask for a practice problem at the end and solve it without help.
Guided Learning itself is available to users of all ages, according to Google’s Workspace update. Quizzes, flashcards and study guides were limited to users 18 and older as of August 2025. If your school manages your Google account, your administrator may switch features on or off.
How do you use AI Mode in Search for homework?
AI Mode accepts the widest range of inputs. You can type, speak, upload or paste images, add PDFs and Drive files, share URLs, or point it at open Chrome tabs.
- Go to google.com/ai, or tap the AI Mode button on google.com or in the Google app.
- Upload a photo or PDF of the worksheet.
- Ask: “Explain step by step, but don’t just give the answer.”
- Click through the linked sources to check the explanation.
Google’s help page lists several features that are 18+: personalization, AI Mode experiments in Search Labs, and Gemini 3 Pro in AI Mode (which also needs a paid AI Plus, Pro or Ultra plan).
What is free, and what costs money?
The core homework features cost nothing. Payment only comes in for extra models, extra study tools or premium Photomath content.
| Product | Free | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Google Lens | Homework help, explanations, videos | None |
| Circle to Search | Homework help on supported phones | None |
| Gemini | Guided Learning for all ages | Google AI Pro, normally $19.99/month |
| Photomath | Basic: scanning plus step-by-step explanations | Plus: $9.99/month or $69.99/year (animated tutorials, textbook solutions) |
| Google Classroom | Google lists no-cost AI tools including Gemini in Classroom | Advanced AI needs Education Plus or add-ons (pricing through sales) |
The 2026 student offer, in detail. Eligible US college students get one year of Google AI Pro free if they redeem by December 31, 2026. A payment method is required, the plan renews at $19.99/month unless cancelled, and it does not work on school-issued accounts. Students outside the US in 140+ markets get a year of AI Plus, then $4.99/month. Features include the Student Hub, study notebooks with a diagnostic quiz and progress dashboard, and syllabus dates sent to Calendar. It is aimed at college students, not K-12.
How do you use Google’s tools to learn, not copy?
Change what you ask for, and the same tool becomes a tutor.
| Instead of… | Try… | Why it helps |
|---|---|---|
| Scanning the whole worksheet | Scanning only the problem you are stuck on | You keep doing the rest yourself |
| “What’s the answer?” | “Give me a hint for the first step” | You still do the reasoning |
| Copying the steps | Closing the app and redoing the problem | Shows whether you learned the method |
| Trusting the first result | Checking a second source or the linked video | AI explanations can be wrong |
| Hiding that you used it | Telling your teacher, citing if required | Keeps you inside school rules |
A worked example: your algebra sheet asks you to solve 3x + 7 = 22. Before scanning, write what you think the first move is. Then use Lens or Guided Learning only to check that move: subtract 7 from both sides to get 3x = 15, then divide by 3 to get x = 5. Now solve 4x + 9 = 33 with the app closed (x = 6). If you can do the second one, the tool did its job.
For the broader rules, read how to use AI for homework without cheating, and check your district’s stance in our school AI policy tracker.
What are the limits?
Google’s tools are convenient, not infallible.
- Explanations can be wrong. Check answers against your textbook, class notes or a second tool, especially for multi-step math. Our AI math help guide explains why.
- Circle to Search is Android-only and depends on your phone model.
- Several study features are 18+, including Gemini’s quizzes and flashcards (as of August 2025) and some AI Mode features.
- The free AI Pro year is for college students, needs a card, and renews at $19.99/month.
- School accounts can differ. Administrators control which Gemini and Classroom features students see.
- Lookalike apps exist. Searching the App Store for “Socratic by Google” returns third-party apps from other companies, not Google.
If you want to compare Google’s options with ChatGPT, Claude and others, see free AI homework helpers compared. For photo-solver apps, see Gauth vs Brainly vs Photomath.
Sources
- Google: Lens ways to search; Circle to Search announcement; Android AI update, I/O 2024; Guided Learning; Gemini study tools (Workspace Updates); 2026 student offer; AI Mode help; Google Classroom
- Photomath (plans and features)
- News and reference: SlashGear on Search/Lens math help (Oct 2023); N1 on the EC Photomath clearance; TechCrunch on Guided Learning and the 2025 student offer; Wikipedia: Socratic (Google)
Checked October 14, 2026. Features, prices and age rules change; confirm on Google’s pages before you rely on them.