Google’s Circle to Search Is Coming to a Bunch of Other Pixel Devices

Google clearly wants to make switching between apps when you get the urge to search for something a problem of the past. The company announced that the Circle to Search feature it launched in January will soon be coming to a slew of additional Pixel devices, including the Pixel 7A, Pixel Fold and Pixel Tablet. It’ll even be arriving on the more than two-year-old Pixel 6 and 6 Pro, and the budget-friendly Pixel 6A.

Over the past year, Google has been aggressively trying to position itself as a leader in AI. One way it’s been doing that is by sprinkling more AI features throughout its products, including its Pixel phones. Circle to Search, given its quick expansion across the Pixel lineup, is already shaping up to be an important part of that plan.

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Circle to Search launched on the Galaxy S24 series in January, with the feature arriving on Google’s latest Pixel 8 and 8 Pro later that month. As the name implies, Circle to Search allows you to launch a Google search for just about anything on your phone’s screen just by drawing a circle around it, highlighting it or scribbling on it. When I reviewed the Galaxy S24 Ultra, for example, I used Circle to Search to find pasta recipes just by circling them in my Instagram feed. Google’s announcement also comes as Samsung is about to begin rolling out an update that brings Circle to Search to the Galaxy S23 lineup, Galaxy Z Flip 5 and Galaxy Z Fold 5.

At the same time, Google is also expanding what Circle to Search can do. Over the coming weeks, it’ll be updated with the ability to translate text on screen, with the company citing the translation of restaurant menus into different languages as a use case example. You can already translate photos and text through Google Translate. But Google is touting Circle to Search as being a quicker alternative that doesn’t involve copy and pasting, switching between apps or snapping a photo first.

Circle to Search’s expansion comes at a critical time when tech companies large and small are examining how AI could change the smartphone experience. Google and Samsung’s current approach involves implementing a handful of new AI-powered photo editing and summarization features, in addition to Circle to Search.

But startups like Rabbit AI and Brain.AI envision broader changes to the way we use mobile devices that lean on AI to carry out tasks rather than rely on apps. Apple is also rumored to be adding new AI features to the iPhone with its upcoming iOS 18 update, according to Bloomberg, which we’ll likely learn about at its Worldwide Developers Conference in June. 

Editors’ note: CNET is using an AI engine to help create some stories. For more, see this post.