Web app Google estimates after uploading photos which skin condition the user has

Google will start later this year with a web app, which should make it possible to upload photos. An algorithm then estimates based on the photos and completed questions which skin condition it may be and points users to reliable information.

The tool can be used for skin, hair and nails, Google says. When using the progressive web app, a website with features of an app, users must upload three photos from different angles. This is done by starting the smartphone’s camera. The software then asks a few more questions about how long the condition has been present and what complaints there are, and then shows the most likely options out of 288 possible skin conditions.

Google warns that the tool cannot replace a doctor’s diagnosis. Instead, people should use it as a way to quickly get reliable information about what they may have in order to make a good choice about what to do next. The tool is approved for use in Europe. The web app will be released later this year, Google says. The medical journal Nature Medicine published Google’s research underlying the algorithm. Google also demonstrated an algorithm to help diagnose breast cancer.