What is Circle to Search, Google’s most fun way to look things up till date?

Samsung recently revealed its new Galaxy S24 series smartphones, armed with some new hardware and a host of new Galaxy AI features. Among the phones’ new capabilities is Circle to Search, Android’s newest way to quickly get information on pretty much anything.

Interestingly, Circle to Search is not exclusive to Samsung phones. Being more of an Android ability, the feature will come to upcoming devices, and possibly some old ones too. So, before everyone around you starts drawing circles on their phone, here’s a quick guide to what the feature is and how it will make your life easier.

What is Circle to Search?

Circle to Search is an extension of Google Search that makes on-the-spot searching much quicker and efficient. It also lets users search about anything on their screen without leaving the app they are in.

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The working of the feature is simple – press down on the home button to trigger the feature, and simply use your finger or a stylus to circle around any object on the screen. This can be text, an icon, an image, or even a specific part of an image.

A small section will pull up from the bottom of the screen and give you quick information on whatever is highlighted in the circle.

You can use the feature to quickly look up the meaning of a lonesome Spanish word, to identify which boots Messi wore in his last game, and pretty much anything in between.

You can even start researching on a new topic directly from the results that pop up from under the screen. For instance, if you see a particular syrup or spread on a picture of pancakes, you can circle it to understand what it is, and then ask Google what other food items you can use the spread with.

Which phones will get the Circle to Search feature?

Currently, very few devices, including the entire Samsung Galaxy S24 series can use Circle to Search. However, Google has not revealed the criteria for the feature, so it is hard to understand which phones will support it moving forward.

That said, upcoming smartphones of 2024 like the OnePlus 12 are very likely to support the feature. This is because these devices are expected to be powered by both Android 14 and the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, key specs that power the Samsung Galaxy S24 series.

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Unless the feature requires on-device AI capabilities (something that has not been explicitly confirmed yet), we may even see some older flagship phones get the feature. However, don’t expect entry-level and mid-range devices to pack the feature just yet!

Google has also mentioned that the feature will be available “only on Android”, implying that Apple iPhones will not get the feature, even if they have the Google Search app installed.