Adamya Sharma / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Google is bringing Circle to Search-like visual searches to the Chrome and Google apps on iPhones.
- The feature allows iOS users to select and search specific content from their screen using simple gestures such as tapping, highlighting, or drawing a circle.
- Curiously, the iOS version of the feature is not called Circle to Search and is part of a new Lens offering.
Circle to Search is one of Google’s most prominent and promoted AI features right now. Initially debuting on Samsung phones, its development is something Google manages, including updates and expansion to new devices. Now, Google is bringing Circle to Search to iPhones, but with a key difference: while it’s called “Circle to Search” on Android, Apple users will not experience the feature under the same name.
Unlike the Android version, where users can long-press the navigation bar or home button to activate Circle to Search, iPhone users will be able to use Google Lens to search what’s on their screen — right within the Google app or Chrome.
The feature allows iPhone users to select and search specific content from their screen using simple gestures such as tapping, highlighting, or drawing. Google avoids using the term “circle” in its press release, probably because Apple doesn’t want to directly associate its devices with an AI feature that is so closely linked to its competitors’ products. It could also be the other way around and Google possibly wants to keep the Circle to Search branding limited to the Android ecosystem. Then again, the limited scope of the feature on iOS could also be why it doesn’t get the famous moniker.
How does it work?
The functionality of the new Lens feature on iPhones is almost identical to how Circle to Search works on Android. Whether browsing articles, shopping, or watching videos, iPhone users can now perform a visual search seamlessly while staying within their current page, without the need to take a screenshot or open a new tab.
To use the feature, iPhone users need to open the three-dot menu in Chrome and select the “Search Screen with Google Lens” option. A more streamlined version will also be accessible soon with a Lens icon in the address bar, much like the desktop Chrome version launched last summer. The feature works similarly in the Google app for iOS, where users can tap the three-dot menu, choose “Search this Screen,” and select (highlight/draw/tap) what they’d like to search.
However, it’s worth noting that functionality is somewhat limited on iPhones compared to Circle to Search on Android. Currently, the feature is only available in the Google app or Chrome on iPhones, unlike Android, where it has a broader scope across the device.
Google says Circle to Search’s iPhone version will start rolling out globally in the coming weeks.
