Circle to Search rolling out to Pixel 7 and 7 Pro, but not the Pixel Fold

Following the March Feature Drop announcement, Circle to Search is starting to roll out to the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro.

It’s already appearing on some devices today via a server-side update (make sure the Google app is up-to-date), and will be available for all users “over the following weeks.” 

This means as of today some Pixel 7 & Pixel 7 Pro users will gain access to the new feature. Access will be automatically enabled for selected users. There’s no action to take on your end. 

Once available, long-press on the gesture navigation handle to invoke Circle to Search. Those using 3-button nav can hold down on the home button, which replaces that Google Assistant activation method. 

This results in a shimmer emanating from the bottom of your screen, while a search bar appears at the bottom. You can move around that field if it’s covering something you want to select.

You can then circle, tap, squiggle, highlight, or cross out to search. Use two fingers to move the screenshot if you need to move it up/down. 

Google’s blog post today only mentions the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro. A chart this morning erroneously said it was coming to the Pixel Fold, but Google has since updated the graphic to remove the mention. The Pixel Fold has the same Tensor G2 chip as those two phones (and more RAM than the smaller model). It cannot be a specs issue. 

One theory that comes to mind is how Circle to Search might not be particularly optimized for the large inner screen just yet. Meanwhile, Samsung said CtS is coming to its older devices starting this month. It will be interesting to see whether it’s immediately available on the Galaxy Tab S9 series.

Hopefully, a future update will bring Circle to Search, which is fundamentally a Google Search/Lens capability, to all current Pixel devices.