The only way to look something up while browsing on your phone involved tediously switching between apps… until now.
Today, Google announced a new android feature called “Circle to Search,” which lets users circle or scribble over something in an image or video still and search for more info about it — in the same window. Coinciding with the Samsung Unpacked event today, Circle to Search will be available on Samsung’s Galaxy S24 Series as well as Google’s Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro. So, apologies to iPhone users, but this is an Android-only feature.
You can activate Circle to Search by long-pressing on the home button or navigation bar on your Android, making a Google search bar appear on the bottom of your screen. From there, you can circle or scribble on an object, and the search bar expands to show you the search results of the thing you’re looking up.
If last year was all about the rise of AI chatbots, this year is poised to be the year of building AI into mobile devices and hardware (catchier title to come). Microsoft has already announced a Copilot key, which activates its AI assistant from the keyboard, and CES was full of AI-integrated wearables and devices. It’s no secret that companies are looking for ways to make AI more useful and consumer-friendly.
Google’s main use case for Circle to Search seems to be shopping-related — you see an item of clothing or, in the case of the provided example, a pair of dog goggles, and can use the feature to easily find and purchase the product. But Circle to Search can also be used simply for looking things up. Draw a line across the name of a trend on a social media post, or circle a picture of an elaborately decorated corn dog and supplement your search with “why is this so popular” to discover the world of Korean corn dogs.
Today, Google also announced a related generative AI upgrade to Multisearch, that enables users to point their camera at something, like an old board game and search for information, like how to play it. The multimodal technology is similar to a feature OpenAI launched with ChatGPT.
Circle to Search will be launching with the Samsung S24 series, Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro on Jan. 31 in all languages and locations where the devices are available.