On Wednesday, Google made a groundbreaking announcement that will change the way Android users search in apps on their phones. The company unveiled Circle to Search, an innovative gesture-based search feature that allows users to quickly find information without switching apps or typing.
Exclusive to select premium Android phones at launch, Circle to Search lets users activate a search simply by long pressing the home button, then circling anything on their screen – images, text, videos – with their finger. Relevant search results instantly pop up at the bottom of the screen. Users can then swipe the results away when done to immediately return to what they were doing previously.
“With a simple gesture, you can select images, text or videos in whatever way comes naturally to you — like circling, highlighting, scribbling or tapping,” said Google’s VP of Search Elizabeth Reid.
The revolutionary feature works alongside Google’s existing multisearch in the Google app, which combines text and visual searches. For example, users could circle a viral social media post of a corn dog and ask “Why are these so popular?” to learn about the Korean origins of the food item.
Circle to Search supports searching any on-screen content including products, text, and videos. It leverages the latest advancements in Google’s AI to provide quick, useful information without interrupting users’ workflow.
The new capability will be available starting January 31 on the new Galaxy S24 lineup of phones as well as the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro. For Android users, this gesture-based advancement promises to make searching on mobile easier and more seamless than ever before.
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