Aamir Siddiqui / Android Authority
TL;DR
- An update for Circle to Search is rolling out in the latest beta of the Google app.
- The update changes Circle to Search’s behavior so that it captures the whole screen and automatically adds it to your upcoming query.
- If you just want to perform a general text search, you’ll now have to remove the image.
Circle to Search (CtS), the AI-powered search tool that lets you search for whatever you circled on your screen, is getting a tweak to its behavior. The update makes a change that you’ll either love or hate.
When you activate CtS, you’ll see a pill-shaped search bar at the bottom of the screen. Currently, if you tap on this bar, it will open up a page of suggestions that includes a field for you to enter a text query. Here, you can search for whatever you want.
If you’re using the latest beta version (16.18) of the Google app, you may notice something a little different about this function. Spotted by 9to5Google, CtS now captures the entire screen for you and automatically adds it to the text query field. You can then ask whatever you want specifically about that image.
You’ll still have the ability to perform a general text search, but it’s a little less convenient now. To do a general search, you’ll now have to tap on the image twice to remove it from the text field.
Thankfully, you won’t be blindsided when this change arrives on your Android device. You should see an introductory card that says “Search using your whole screen” the next time you use the feature. This card will explain how the new behavior works.
