Circle To Search Text Search Is Now 'using Your Whole Screen'

The “search box” in Circle to Search in Android will now use your whole screen to “generate suggestions and results.”

Previously, launching Circle to Search and tapping the pill-shaped field would let you enter a new text query, like any other Search box on Android.

Google is now changing the behavior so that CtS will capture your entire screen and automatically add it to the upcoming text query. Instead of a general text search, you’ll now “Ask about this image.”

If you just want to “Search anything” (like before), you have to first remove the image by tapping on it twice in the box. Some users might not like the extra step to perform a regular search from anywhere on your device.

This new approach complements Circle to Search’s targeted queries without users having to manually expand the capture area, though this update appears to make that easier by letting you just tap anywhere to cover the entire screen.

We’re seeing this new whole screen Circle to Search behavior today with the beta version of the Google app (16.18). When this first rolls out to your device, an introductory “Search using your whole screen” prompt appears that explains this change.