Latest news with #CircleToSearch
Android Authority
18-05-2025
- Android Authority
Circle to Search has a hidden trick every color lover should know about
Aamir Siddiqui / Android Authority I'll admit: long-pressing the home button to trigger a visual search was a genius move by Google. I use Circle to Search more often than I ever thought, whether it's to identify plants, bugs, or famous landmarks in TV shows. Surprisingly, it also has a hidden talent for identifying colors. Many web pages and apps help identify colors, providing all the details you might need, and sometimes even more, like additional codes and values. The problem with these tools is that you must upload an image, describe the color, or use a color wheel or slider. They're not immediately accessible. With Circle to Search, long-pressing the home button beneath my thumb is all that's needed. Have you found a use case for Circle to Search? 0 votes Yes, I use it for almost everything! NaN % Yes, I use it in specific instances. NaN % I tried, but I never did find a good use for it. NaN % I've never used it, and don't believe it's useful for me. NaN % Color is all about perception. One person might see a gold dress, while another sees a blue one. To clarify this ambiguity, we assign specific names or values to colors. For instance, Aquamarine, Cerulean, and Navy Blue are all specific tints and shades of blue but vastly different. Whether ordering paint for your kitchen wall based on your Pinterest mood board or selecting complementary colors for a DIY Android widget, having a tool that can accurately identify colors is useful. What color is that couch? Circle to Search has an answer Andy Walker / Android Authority I hilariously stumbled upon this Circle to Search feature when trying to identify something else entirely, but I was interested to see how good it is when specifically targeting solid colors. I triggered the tool to test these capabilities and highlighted small splotches of solid colors on my home screen and various web pages. This activates a Google search with an AI Overview blurb, a list of related results, and specific hex or color codes in some cases. Below, I've included a few examples of this feature in action using Samsung's wallpapers. Sometimes, AI Overview provides a hex code. Alternatively, it offers context about that specific color, be it another identifier, like RGB or CMYK, or a few 'facts' about it. For instance, the dark blue (second image) represents 'depth, stability, and calmness' according to the search tool. This information may not be helpful to everyone, but it's just the type of description I'd need when choosing paint for a specific room. It still offers valuable information even if it doesn't have much to say about a color. This salmon shade I ran through it (third image) suggested a paint color available at my local hardware store! After seeing these results, I wanted to test how well Google knew Pantone colors. I pulled up a palette detailing the year's hues and got to work. It accurately identified Olive Green and provided an RAL code — a color identification system used for varnish, powder coatings, and plastics. Oddly, it struggles with more generic colors. It identified Pantone's Orange Peel as simply 'Pantone Orange' and offered a separate product using that shade. That's useful, I guess, but hundreds of Pantone orange varieties are available. Notably, if you're not using a solid color taken directly from the web, Circle to Search is easily influenced by textures, shadows, and the quality of your camera. The same couch will look different in direct sunlight and fluorescent light. Be aware of this when walking around with your camera, snapping products, and hoping to pinpoint their color later. It does a pretty good job with fabrics, though, offering more information on my couch cushion. A shade of gray paint on canvas. A cushion on a couch. A skein of Orange yarn. Just don't use it for professional work, OK? A more embarrassing miss occurred with a particularly fetching blue from Samsung's default wallpaper set. AI Overview identified it not as a color, but as a sanitary product. I'm unsure how AI Overview arrived at this answer, but it seemed pretty convinced! I also focused on the yellow dot in the image, which the tool believed was a part of a banana. This one did get a chuckle out ot me. That conviction becomes a problem in other ways, too. Take this accent color we use across Android Authority. Circle to Search mentions that the color is a 'mix of blue and green' and offers descriptions like Ocean Green, Dark Sea Green, and Sea Blue, which are in the ballpark but aren't home runs. Only when I scroll down to the related search results do I find a hex code that matches the color almost exactly. A more accurate answer exists, but AI Overview prioritizes the less precise information first. These errors are rare, but they affect the reliability of all the results I receive. I can't expect Circle to Search to be a perfect color identifier, but I'm surprised that it did so well in my tests. Look, I can't expect Circle to Search to be a perfect color identifier, especially compared to more specialized tools. Color science requires precision, and Circle to Search is designed as a general visual search tool. As I've mentioned, the results also depend on the source you're using. As a result, there's a degree of variability that's involved. Your phone's camera or screen might not capture or present a color-accurate image of a couch, cushion, wall, or plant pot, particularly when filters are applied or lighting conditions vary. It's also easily thrown by textures and shadows. In short, Circle to Search isn't for mission-critical work. You shouldn't use it for professional purposes, but for everyone else, it makes snapshot color identification more accessible. It's a great way to learn about colors or garner inspiration. I certainly learned plenty. Nevertheless, despite its flaws, I'm still surprised it did so well in my tests. With a little more work, Google could have a surprisingly reliable Circle to Search use case. I already use the tool to identify structures, dog breeds, flowers, and actors. I can now add colors to this rather odd list.
Android Authority
16-05-2025
- Android Authority
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@ . You can stay anonymous or get credit for the info, it's your choice.
Android Authority
14-05-2025
- Android Authority
Here's how Google Circle to Search could be coming to Gemini (APK teardown)
Rita El Khoury / Android Authority TL;DR Google Circle to Search offers a convenient way to use screen input for looking things up online. Last month we spotted a 'Circle Screen' tool that appeared to offer similar functionality for Gemini. We're now able to share a demo of this kind of Gemini input in action. Even though Android's been around for well over a decade, some of its most useful tools are only recent additions, and one of our favorites has been the ability to ask Google about stuff we're seeing right on our screens. Circle to Search has emerged as a surprisingly powerful way to interact with Google's classic search tools, but these days everything's going the way of AI, and we've been wondering when a similar input mechanic might be coming to Gemini. Last month we spotted an early tease of a 'Circle Screen' option in a Gemini video from Google, and now we're finally getting the chance to go hands-on. Authority Insights story on Android Authority. Discover You're reading anstory on Android Authority. Discover Authority Insights for more exclusive reports, app teardowns, leaks, and in-depth tech coverage you won't find anywhere else. An APK teardown helps predict features that may arrive on a service in the future based on work-in-progress code. However, it is possible that such predicted features may not make it to a public release. Unlike the Gemini Live demo we shared with you last month, this time we're working with regular Gemini. We're using version beta of the Google app, and while this functionality isn't yet publicly accessible, we were able to manipulate the software into giving us an early look. When asking Gemini to check out your screen, you'll be able to circle a specific area you want to highlight for further inquiry. Whether that's an image or text, you just need to circle it and then ask Gemini your question about what you're seeing. Google then does its analysis and comes right back to you with some results. In operation, it functionally feels a lot like Circle to Search as we've come to know it, albeit with some important changes to the order of operations in the workflow — there's much more of an emphasis on what you want to do with your image input here, while Circle to Search tends to hit the ground running, and then only prompts you to refine your interest after the fact. While we no longer see any on-screen 'Circle Screen' branding like we did when Google was dogfooding (internally testing) this in its video, this appears to be the same thing, or at least an input mode that works in the very same manner. As such, we're unsure how Google might end up promoting this when it comes time to announce it, but we're just happy to get a chance to play with it in operation. Got a tip? Talk to us! Email our staff at Email our staff at news@ . You can stay anonymous or get credit for the info, it's your choice.
Android Authority
08-05-2025
- Android Authority
Google tests two slick new Circle to Search layouts, and one could be rolling out already
Aamir Siddiqui / Android Authority TL;DR Google is testing two new user interface designs for its Circle to Search feature on Android. One new UI places all search options in a rectangular box, while another uses a two-row layout. It's unclear which design Google will ultimately release to the public, although the two-row layout appears to be rolling out more widely. Circle to Search has been a fantastic addition to Android flagships. It's one of those smaller features that slowly but surely changes how you use your phone. By making it fundamentally simpler to search, it encourages curiosity for even the smallest of questions. Google is keen to grow Circle to Search, so the company keeps testing new additions and UIs. We've now spotted two new UIs for Circle to Search, one even rolling out in the stable branch. Authority Insights story on Android Authority. Discover You're reading anstory on Android Authority. Discover Authority Insights for more exclusive reports, app teardowns, leaks, and in-depth tech coverage you won't find anywhere else. An APK teardown helps predict features that may arrive on a service in the future based on work-in-progress code. However, it is possible that such predicted features may not make it to a public release. The usual Circle to Search UI has a long bar with tightly rounded corners. Within this bar lives the Google Search bar with an icon for voice search. There are also individual buttons for Song Search and Translate, giving it a neat look. Aamir Siddiqui / Android Authority Current UI for Circle to Search With Google app v16.17.38, Google is testing a couple of new UIs for Circle to Search. Telegram user @brokenthrone received a new UI for Circle to Search. This new UI gets rid of the long bar and houses everything in a rectangular box with rounded corners. There are no buttons or separators within, just icons and icon text. The Google Search bar is replaced with a Search icon and text, and similarly, we see icons and text for Song Search and Translate. As spotted by Telegram user @username5662, there's another UI in testing. We've received the same UI on our Pixel 9 Pro XL, so there's a chance that this UI is being widely rolled out. This UI adopts a two-row design, with the Google Search bar occupying the top row and the Song Search and Translate buttons sitting in the second row. Aamir Siddiqui / Android Authority It remains to be seen which design Google will eventually settle on. Which of the three UIs do you like more? Let us know in the comments below! Got a tip? Talk to us! Email our staff at Email our staff at news@ . You can stay anonymous or get credit for the info, it's your choice.
