Circle to Search now uses your entire screen automatically
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.
Got a tip? Talk to us! Email our staff at
Email our staff at news@androidauthority.com . You can stay anonymous or get credit for the info, it's your choice.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Associated Press
10 minutes ago
- Associated Press
After 60 years, the search for a missing plane in Lake Superior remains fruitless
Experts searching for plane wreckage in Michigan's Lake Superior turned up found logs and rocks on the bottom but no debris from an aircraft that crashed nearly 60 years ago carrying three people on a scientific assignment. A team from Michigan Technological University returned last week by boat to get closer to 16 targets that appeared on sonar last fall, more than 200 feet (61 meters) below the surface of the vast lake. The crew used side-scan sonar and other remote technology. 'We did not locate any sign of the wreckage of the missing aircraft,' said Travis White, a research engineer at the Great Lakes Research Center at Michigan Tech. 'However, we did validate our technical approach, as we found physical objects in each target location.' The Beechcraft plane carrying pilot Robert Carew, co-pilot Gordon Jones and graduate student Velayudh Krishna Menon left Madison, Wisconsin, for Lake Superior on Oct. 23, 1968. They were collecting data on temperature and other lake conditions for the National Center for Atmospheric Research. Seat cushions and pieces of stray metal have washed ashore over the years along the Keweenaw Peninsula. But the wreckage and the remains of the men have never been found. 'We're probably not going to find a fully intact airplane,' said Wayne Lusardi, state maritime archaeologist. An autonomous vessel was launched last September, recording sonar readings and other data. After studying those findings over the winter, White, Lusardi and others returned to Lake Superior. 'Unfortunately, the targets turned out to be mostly natural: large sunken trees, logs, rocks,' White said by email. Metal cans on the lake bottom, believed to be 75 years old, give 'hope that the plane wreckage may be reasonably well-preserved and not buried,' he said. White said the next challenge will be how to continue the work. 'We may attempt a crowdfunding model to see if we can raise some funds for future mapping activities that could help us locate the plane or other historic wrecks,' he said. The initial search last fall was organized by the Smart Ships Coalition, a group of more than 60 universities, government agencies, companies and international organizations interested in maritime autonomous technologies.
Bloomberg
11 minutes ago
- Bloomberg
Ex-Tesla Executive Signs Letter of Intent with Stargate's Crusoe
A startup founded by former Tesla Inc. executive Drew Baglino has signed letters of intent to sell technology designed to address one of the artificial intelligence boom's biggest bottlenecks: aging infrastructure and a transformer shortage. Baglino, chief executive officer and founder of Heron Power Electronics Co., said his company has inked preliminary deals with Crusoe Energy Systems, a developer behind OpenAI 's Stargate site, and Intersect Power LLC, which is developing energy plants for Alphabet Inc. 's Google.
TechCrunch
16 minutes ago
- TechCrunch
Reddit now lets you hide content, like posts and comments, from your user profile
Reddit on Tuesday announced a new feature that will offer its users more privacy when it comes to what's shared on their user profiles. The company says it's rolling out an update that will introduce a 'Content and Activity' setting that allows users to decide which content from the subreddits they participate in will appear on their profiles. This includes both their posting and commenting history. By default, all posts and comments will remain visible, as before. However, the new setting allows users to hide all their public posts and comments, including those made directly on their profiles. Alternately, users can decide to selectively display posts and comments from specific communities on their profile, while keeping others hidden. The setting is available under a new 'Curate your profile' section, where users can control their content's visibility. An option to toggle on or off NSFW content and activity is also available, as is a Followers toggle to show or hide follower count. Image Credits:Reddit The update adds a layer of privacy to Reddit that wasn't previously available. Previously, many Reddit users created 'throwaway' accounts when they wanted to ask more personal questions. But as Reddit morphs into more of an ad-focused tech company post-IPO, it likely prefers that user data — like engagement and interests — remains associated with a single user profile for better ad targeting. Techcrunch event Save now through June 4 for TechCrunch Sessions: AI Save $300 on your ticket to TC Sessions: AI—and get 50% off a second. Hear from leaders at OpenAI, Anthropic, Khosla Ventures, and more during a full day of expert insights, hands-on workshops, and high-impact networking. These low-rate deals disappear when the doors open on June 5. Exhibit at TechCrunch Sessions: AI Secure your spot at TC Sessions: AI and show 1,200+ decision-makers what you've built — without the big spend. Available through May 9 or while tables last. Berkeley, CA | REGISTER NOW The feature's addition could also encourage users to participate more on the site, as they'll now know that they can somewhat obscure their activity from public view. For example, users may want to chime in or ask questions about a topic of a more sensitive nature, like relationship or dating advice, or a health issue they're facing. Before, they may have chosen to just read through others' posts but not engage directly in order to keep the information from displaying on their own user profiles. Image Credits:Reddit Reddit says that the option to hide or display posts and comments is available only on a per-community basis, not at the individual post or comment level. That makes the settings easier to manage, even if it means you can't pick and choose which specific comments and posts show up and which don't. Still, users should know that the curation option doesn't mean they have true privacy. Their username will still appear next to their posts and comments in the communities themselves. Plus, some moderators will still have access to a user's public post and comment history for 28 days, regardless of the user's content visibility settings, Reddit says. This access is helpful to moderators who may need to review a user's history when they post or comment, as well as when they send modmail, like join requests, or requests to join a restricted community. Profile owners will also be able to temporarily see a user's full post and comment history if another user comments directly on their profile post, the company notes. Image Credits:Reddit Alongside this change, Reddit introduced updated personal activity summaries, which provide an overview of a user's activity, including their Karma count, total contributions, account age, and active communities. The latter will be based on their Content and activity settings.
