C. Scott Brown / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Nothing smartphones started receiving Android 15 via Nothing OS 3.0 stable earlier this month.
- Devices that have upgraded can now begin taking advantage of Circle to Search.
- Circle to Search is also available in beta on the Nothing Phone 2a Plus.
We’re just days away from the end of 2024, and despite the fact that Android 16 already has its second Developer Preview ready for you to test, the vast majority of phones haven’t even gotten Android 15 yet. As manufacturers like Samsung take their time with a very deliberate, controlled, and ultimately slow approach to their beta testing, more agile players like Nothing have been able to grab a little spotlight with stable Android 15 for their own phones. Nothing OS 3.0 has been available for the company’s latest handsets for a bit over a week now, and today we’re learning about one more feature that’s making its arrival.
Circle to Search has emerged as one of the year’s most low-key useful Android tools, and after early availability on Samsung and Google smartphones, it’s been getting ready to spread to more and more. Following the release of OS 3.0, Nothing now shares that Circle to Search is available on the Nothing Phone 2, Phone 2a, and Phone 2a Plus.
Right now, stable Nothing OS 3.0 is only out for the Phone 2 and Phone 2a, so while Phone 2a Plus users can also start trying out Circle to Search as well, they’re going to have to be on the beta track. Based on the the company’s announcement in its community forums, it sounds like Circles to Search just needed a little extra testing, and that’s why it wasn’t initially available when Nothing OS 3.0 stable first dropped.
The company shares that Circle to Search availability will be coming to the Japanese edition of the Nothing Phone 2a in the future. That will also spread to Nothing’s other phones as they get their own OS 3.0 updates in 2025.
If you’re on the latest build for your phone and still can’t find Circle to Search when long-pressing your nav bar or home button, go ahead and give a phone a reset — Nothing says that might be all it needs in order to pop up.
