In a significant step towards enhancing user experience and interaction, Google has unveiled a revolutionary search feature for Android mobile phones, coined as Circle to Search. This innovative feature enables users to carry out searches using unique gestures such as tapping, highlighting, scribbling, and even circling, breaking barriers between apps and Google Search.
The tech giant anticipates that this development will streamline the usage of Google Search. For instance, users can now satiate their queries in real-time - while watching a video, browsing photos in a social app, or engaging in a conversation over a messaging service, without switching the application.
However, the name 'Circle to Search' might misrepresent the feature's complete functionality, considering the wide range of gestures it supports beyond just circling. It not just initiates a search through circling gestures, but also by interacting with the text or imagery on the screen.
One can use the circling gesture to identify elements in a video or photo - for example, circling an item featured in a food video to know more about it. Moreover, more practical gestures such as tapping or swiping can also launch a search. Users can tap on a restaurant name during a chat to fetch its details, or swipe across a string of words to instantiate a search, Google further elaborated.
For inquiries related to something visual on the screen, users can either circle or scribble across the targeted portion. Google suggests that users can circle the sunglasses worn by a video creator or scribble on their boots to pull out related items on Google, illustrating the versatility of this unique search feature. This 'scribble' feature is effective for both texts and images.
The search engine giant also states that the output of the search queries will be influenced by the user's unique question and the Google Labs products they subscribe to. Traditional results may suffice for a simple text search, but for 'multisearch', Google's term for a combination of images and text, a generative AI is likely to be used. Should the user be part of Google's Search Generative Experience (SGE) experiment via Google Labs, they could avail AI-fueled responses akin to other SGE queries.
Google believes that this new form of integrated search will prove to be impactful, allowing users to start a search from within any app or take a screenshot to serve as a reminder for searching a particular item later.
The tech giant plans to roll out Circle to Search on January 31, starting with the newly announced Galaxy S24 Series smartphones at a recent Samsung event. Premium Android devices, including the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, will also support the feature. Gradually, a wider range of Android smartphones will be able to accommodate this feature, Google assured. Over time, the feature will be available in all languages and regions where these smartphones are accessible.
Platforms such as the AppMaster, which supports low-code or no-code app development, can potentially benefit from such cutting-edge features, thereby enhancing the user interface and experience across a range of applications.
