Google has introduced a new tool called Circle to Search, which is available on select premium Android smartphones. This innovative feature allows users to search for anything on their screen without switching apps, making information discovery more seamless and intuitive. By long-pressing the home button or navigation bar on your Android device, you can activate Circle to Search and select any part of your screen using gestures like circling an object, highlighting text, scribbling over an area, or tapping on an item.
Once you make a selection, the artificial intelligence-powered search provides relevant information about your choice right on your screen without interrupting your current activity. This feature is versatile and allows for visual searches to identify objects, clothing, or products in images or videos, text-based searches to look up unfamiliar terms or concepts, and multisearch combining image and text queries for more specific results.
The real-world applications of Circle to Search are vast. Users can utilize this tool for shopping to identify and find similar products while browsing social media, learning to look up unfamiliar terms or concepts while reading articles, entertainment to get more information about actors, locations, or objects in videos, and problem-solving to find solutions to visual puzzles or math problems. The feature leverages Google’s advanced AI to provide comprehensive information by pulling together relevant details from across the web in response to your questions.
To use Circle to Search, users can long-press the navigation handle on Gesture navigation mode or the Home button on 3-button navigation mode, then circle, highlight, or tap on the screen to select the text, image, or video they want to search. Search results will appear at the bottom of the screen, and users can refine their search by adding text in the search bar. For more results, users can swipe up on the results.
Circle to Search represents a significant advancement in making information access more intuitive and seamless on mobile devices. By eliminating the need to switch between apps, it allows users to stay focused on their current tasks while satisfying their curiosity. As this feature continues to evolve and expand to more devices, it has the potential to revolutionize how we interact with and learn from the digital world around us.
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