Circle to Search gets a new trick as it expands to more Pixel devices, including the Pixel Fold
Google Pixel fans are getting a nice little treat this week as Google has announced the expansion of its Circle to Search feature to more of its devices, including its foldable and tablet. Initially launched with the Samsung Galaxy S24 series and then to the Google Pixel 8 series, the Google Lens AI feature was also expanded to the Pixel 7 series earlier this month as part of a feature drop.
This expansion of the feature to the Pixel 7 series was a sore subject among owners of the more expensive and almost equally spec'd Pixel Fold. At an MSRP of $1800 upon launch, there was no conceivable reason why Google's top of the line foldable would be left out. Yours truly was among one of the Pixel Fold owners who were beside themselves when I saw my much newer device getting passed over for a much older generation Pixel.
Thankfully, these concerns are now being addressed. In a blog post today, Google ever so casually dropped the news that starting this week "Circle to Search" will be rolling out to more Android phones, including Google's own Pixel Fold and Pixel Tablet which will be getting the feature "soon." Below are the Google Pixel models on the list for the update:
Phones (this week):
Larger screen devices (soon):
Same Circle to Search, but improved
Aside from the good news about Circle to Search reaching more devices soon, Google also announced that the feature will also be getting an improvement. Not only will it help you identify objects on the screen simply by circling or squiggling around it, but now it can also help you instantly translate. To enable this, Google is adding a "translate" icon beside the search bar that appears when long pressing the home button or navigation bar. The translation icon within Circle to Search will start rolling out in the next few weeks.
Meanwhile, Samsung is also expanding its suite of AI features to their older devices by announcing that Galaxy AI 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. This is encouraging news from both OEMs, as AI features continue to be touted as the latest and greatest that smartphones are offering these days.
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