Google recently launched Circle to Search, a tool that allows users to circle items on their screen to initiate a search based on the displayed image. First revealed with the Galaxy S24 series in January 2024, this option, which was initially part of Samsung’s Galaxy AI suite of features, is now also available on a large number of Google’s Pixel devices.
In order to activate the Circle to Search feature, simply press and hold the home button. While this tool provides a smoother search experience, some users and our colleagues at 9to5Google have reported issues with accidental triggering, particularly with gesture navigation when switching between apps or running apps. other actions with the navigation bar. In a recent episode of the Made In Google podcast, the firm indicates that it has taken note of these concerns and promises, through its development team, to improve the precision of activation of the function, so that it triggers only when intentional.
The Mountain View firm further confirmed that this tool was powered by Google Lens, particularly for visual search and optical character recognition (OCR). However, Circle to Search aims to make these uses more widely accessible and easier to adopt, with improvements such as text selection and searching, as well as inline translation.
Google’s long-term goal would be to merge the Circle to Search results page with the Lens results page, providing the most complete search experience possible. Developments which should arrive in the near future, and which we will not fail to test.