Google rolled out the Circle to Search feature to select premium Android devices starting in January this year. Now the news is that the feature is now available for desktop users as well. The feature is now available in both ChromeOS and the Chrome browser. For those unfamiliar, the feature allows users to easily search for information based on visual content.

Circle to Search is currently available in beta channel for Windows and macOS

However, the Circle to Search is currently limited to ChromeOS 127 beta and Chrome 128 beta (for both Windows and macOS) and is expected to become available for the regular versions soon. In addition to that, the feature is currently labeled as “Search with Google Lens” for Windows and macOS, while it’s called “Drag to Search” on ChromeOS.

On macOS or Windows with Chrome 128 beta, users can access this new feature by selecting “Search with Google Lens” from the overflow menu. This option can also pinned to the side panel for easy access. Speaking of ChromeOS, its users can trigger the feature by clicking the new Google Lens icon in the address bar.

With this feature, desktop users can now search for anything on the computer screen by simply dragging a box around that element. The company’s release note for Chrome 128 beta describes the feature as follows:

“Google Lens in Chrome makes it easy to search anything you see on your screen. Search within a video you’re watching, a slide in a livestream, or an image on a webpage. Google Lens will give you answers right there, in your tab, and you can continue browsing with the new information you’ve found.”

The feature is expected to enter the stable channel of Chrome for both macOS and Windows within the next couple of weeks. After that, every user will be able to access the feature as described above.

(Via)

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Samsung‘s Galaxy S24 series introduced Galaxy AI, a collection of features powered by artificial intelligence that streamline daily tasks. One of the highlights of Galaxy AI is Google’s Circle to Search, which is now available on Pixel devices as well.

The feature lets users gather details about anything on their screen simply by drawing a circle around it. Now new reports suggest Google is working to improve Circle to Search with the ability to identify songs and popular audio clips.

The information comes from @AssembleDebug, who discovered it during an APK teardown, as reported by Android Authority. According to the report, the latest beta version of the Google app, which facilitates Circle to Search on Android devices, has a code string referencing a new Audio search button. 

<string name="omnient_zerostate_audio_search_button_content_description">Audio search button</string>

AssembleDebug managed to activate the UI for this new button, which looks like a musical note. The button appears next to the existing button for on-screen text translation.

Currently, the button is non-functional, as per the report, and Google has not provided any official explanation about its purpose. However, based on the audio note icon, it’s speculated that clicking the button might allow Circle to Search to use the phone’s microphone to analyze surrounding sounds.

If it detects a song or well-known audio clip, the feature would then provide relevant information. It’s also possible that Circle to Search might let users hum a song for identification. Note that there’s already a microphone icon in the search bar that allows similar song search features.

But if the feature works as expected, it would simplify song identification and information retrieval for Android devices. Hopefully, the forthcoming beta version of the Google app will clarify the button’s functionalities by activating them. We will keep you updated if any other details about the feature surface.

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Google previously poked fun at iPhones for lacking the visual search functionality provided by Circle to Search. However, a very similar feature is now arriving on iPhones thanks to iOS Shortcuts and Google Lens. Users of the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max can easily activate the visual search feature through the action button.

Back Tap or the Action Button can be used to trigger the feature once activated

Google Lens has been available on iOS for a long time at this point. Minsang Choi, Design Manager at Google Lens, states that iPhone users can now enjoy a visual search experience similar to Android’s Circle to Search through the Google App. The Google App takes a screenshot and then utilizes Google Lens to process the image.

For older iPhones lacking the Action Button, users can still easily activate the visual search feature using the Back Tap gesture. Recent iPhone models allow users to tap the back of the device to launch the shortcut. This gesture can be enabled in Settings > Accessibility > Touch, where users can choose between Double Tap or Triple Tap under Back Tap, then assign a shortcut. Once configured, users can trigger the feature by tapping the back of their iPhone.

In addition to the quicker search of visual objects, the shortcut in the Google App now also makes it easier and more convenient for iPhones to leverage Google Lens in copying and translating text from images.

Earlier this year, Google introduced the Circle to Search feature, which was initially exclusive to Android and only available on the Google Pixel 8 and Galaxy S24 series models. Google and Samsung have since expanded the feature to include many older models.

According to Google, the main distinction between Circle to Search and Google Lens is that the former is universally accessible on Android and can be activated with a simple gesture or long press. However, both functionalities utilize optical character recognition (OCR) technology. A Google executive mentioned in a podcast that Circle to Search is essentially a refined version of Google Lens, optimized for specific purposes on Android.

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Google recently announced Pixel Feature Drop for March with a bunch of new features. One of the most interesting feature that was announced two months ago is now coming to the older generation Pixel smartphones. By older, we mean the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro. The feature is none other than the Circle to Search that is already available on the Pixel 8 series. 

Circle to Search expands to the Pixel 7 series 

Google confirmed in an official blog post that the March Pixel Drop will include Circle to Search for the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro. However, as usual with software updates, they take some time to reach all units. The Circle to Search feature on the Pixel 7 duo seems to be a server-side switch which was also the case with the Pixel 8 series last month. 

The feature was spotted by Reddit user on their Pixel 7 Pro running the Android beta build. Android Police also did their own investigation and found Circle to Search working on their Pixel 7. Their unit was running on a stable Android 14 version with a February security patch and 2024 January Play System update. The folks at the publication report that the feature became available after updating the Google app to the latest beta build which falls in line with the Reddit user’s experience. Additionally, switching back to the stable build of the Google app also enabled Circle to Search indicating the beta version might have triggered the availability. 

Hence, if you’re yet to receive the Circle to Search feature, it’s recommended to keep the Google app updated to the latest version. You can find out its availability by long pressing on the home button or navigation bar on their devices.

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When Samsung unveiled its flagship Galaxy S24 series earlier this month, one of the announcement that caught everybody’s attention was the Circle to Search feature. Google already confirmed this feature’s arrival in the surprise January Pixel Feature Drop update. Now, the search giant’s flagship Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro phones are getting the Circle to Search feature as confirmed by the company in an official blog post. 

Pixel 8 phones get Circle to Search feature 

Google says that Circle to Search on the Pixel 8 series is now rolling out. Multiple users on Reddit also confirmed that their Pixel 8 and 8 Pro units are receiving the new feature. Some also revealed that Google is not releasing any firmware update. The feature magically appears so it seems to be a server-side switch. Notably, it is also available in multiple regions. 

It also appears that users won’t get any indication if Circle to Search is live on their Pixel 8 and 8 Pro units. One way to find this out is to long press on the home button or navigation bar on their devices. Users can simply start circling or highlighting, scribbling, or tapping the elements/items on the screen. This will throw up search results specific to what the user intends to search. Google also demonstrated in its blog post that Circle to Search can solve queries of items seen on social media to find out more about them. Another use case is easily comparing options of two restaurants by highlighting one of the names while texting and without having to leave the screen.  

The Circle to Search feature makes the process of searching specific things in visual content seamless and convenient. It eliminates the need to take the image and screenshot over to the Google App. It’s also easier and better to use than Google Lens. 

Pixel 8 Pro 5G (Obsidian Black, 12GB RAM, 128GB Storage)

• The Google Tensor G3 is Pixel’s most powerful chip yet. It’s custom-designed with Google AI for cutting-edge photo and video features and smarter ways to help throughout the day. And it makes the Pixel 8 Pro super fast and efficient.

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