There was a lot to take in at Google I/O 2024, and we're still picking through all the details – such as the announcement that the Circle to Search AI-powered tool is now available on over 100 million devices, and set to reach 200 million before the end of 2024.
This was confirmed by a Google blog post, and shows just how rapidly the feature is spreading through the Android ecosystem. It made its debut on the Samsung Galaxy S24 and Google Pixel 8, before expanding its reach to other devices.
Google doesn't explain which other makes and models of Android devices are in the queue for Circle to Search before the year is out. But it's gradually been making its way to older phones, and in the last week made its debut on the Pixel Tablet.
The feature has also been pushed out to the Samsung Galaxy S21, launched three years ago. It's not clear exactly what hardware specs are required for Circle to Search to work properly, but it seems that a fairly modern device setup is required.
Circle to what?
If you're unfamiliar with Circle to Search, it uses the smarts of Google Search and Google Lens to search the web based on any text or any image shown on screen. What makes it so useful is it works on any screen in any app.
You launch Circle to Search by long pressing on the home button (if you're using buttons to navigate) or by long pressing on the navigation handle (if you're using gestures to navigate). This makes the screen 'active' and ready for your selection.
You're then able to circle anything on screen to run a search on it, hence the name. In fact, you can also scribble over something. Or just tap it – in which case the feature will try and pick out the object or text you're trying to select from the background.
The AI part is identifying what's on screen and using it as the basis of a search. One example Google has given in its demos is looking for a particular style of lamp just by selecting it on screen, rather than having to describe it in a conventional Google search.
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