When Google’s good idea also comes to Microsoft’s browser

Microsoft Edge could have a search function which involves surrounding content (image, text). This even though Google has just implemented it on certain Android smartphones. This feature will trigger Copilot, Microsoft’s AI.

This February 1, Google launched Circle to Search, a feature available on the Pixel 8 and Galaxy S24 consisting of circling an element in any application to start a search on Google. Microsoft is reportedly working to do the same thing on the PC version of its browser, Edge.

Circle to use Copilot: this Edge feature that would look a lot like Google’s

It is Windows Report who writes that he noticed a new setting in the Canary version of Microsoft Edge (which is used to test preview features). It allows you to activate “Circle to Copilot» which, at the moment, does not work. At this time, Microsoft has not yet officially announced this addition: it is unknown when it should arrive, if ever.

However, there is text indicating what the functionality is for:Draw a circle around the object and voila! It will be added to the dialog box in the Copilot sidebar. You can then ask Copilot about it and get an answer.» It therefore seems that this is a so-called multimodal search, relying on both the image (the element circled on our screen) and the text (our question). In addition to images, you could select text by circling it, using your mouse. In fact, it is already possible to select text and ask Copilot to get answers: with Circle to Copilot, the manipulation would simply be easier.

Source: Google

Source: Google

Source: Google

Source: Google

For the moment, Microsoft does not really compete with Google. For the latter, his “Circle to Search» is only available on Android, when “Circle to Copilot» would only be available on PC a priori. But nothing stops Microsoft from adding it to the mobile versions of Edge later. Nothing would prevent Google from adding its functionality to Chrome, for example.