This, of course, angered many Pixel Fans, but especially those that shelled out $1800 in order to get Google’s first foldable. Yours truly being one of those that felt cheated out of getting the latest features on what is still to this date Google’s most expensive smartphone. All without any explanation as to why.
Thankfully, Google is now following through. When the announcement was made a week ago that Circle to Search would be rolled out to the Fold, the timeline just stated that it would be “soon.” For tech companies, “soon” could mean anywhere from days to months, to sometimes even years, so that really didn’t give us much to go on.
However, to my surprise, I was in the middle of a YouTube live stream when my Pixel Fold suddenly got the notification that Circle to Search was now available. Hilariously, my reaction to finally receiving the feature was caught live.
My Google Pixel Fold got a notification last night that Circle to Search was finally available
What exactly is Circle to Search?
Basically, it lets you search Google just by circling or tapping stuff on your screen. It is Google Lens, but with the added convenience of letting you skip a few steps and circling what you want to search right on the screen. To use it, you just long-press the screen’s nav bar, doodle a circle around what you want to search, and watch the results populate.
Circle to Search in use on the Pixel Fold
Google has also announced that they are working on integrating translation within Circle to Search. Think about being able to circle text in a foreign language on a menu or a social media post and getting an instant translation overlaid on your screen. That’ll be a huge travel lifesaver. Other devices in line to get the feature are the Pixel 7a, Pixel 6a, Pixel 6, and the Pixel 6 Pro. On the Samsung side, the Galaxy AI flavor of Circle to Search will be rolled out to the Galaxy S23 series, Galaxy S23 FE, Galaxy Z Fold 5, Galaxy Z Flip 5, Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra, Galaxy Tab S9+, and Galaxy Tab S9 WiFi.