Select iPhones can imitate Google’s handy Circle to Search tool with new shortcut

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A select handful of Pixel and Galaxy smartphones have the exclusive Circle to Search feature. By holding down the home button on one of the models, an overlay will appear “that lets you circle… objects” on screen to identify them through Google Search. We’ve wondered if and when Google plans on widely rolling out Circle to Search to more smartphones. Funnily enough, a similar feature has recently been released, but it’s on iPhone.

It’s called Search Your Screenshot and was created by a group of developers who work on the Google Search app for iOS. Minsang Choi, who is a design manager for Google Lens, states it adds a visual search function to the action button on an iPhone 15 Pro. Pressing the button takes a screenshot of whatever’s on the display and the software proceeds to run a Google Lens scan. After it’s done, search results appear from buttons complete with images, forum posts, and shopping links to the object it detects. Choi says, “It’s basically Circle to Search but faster”.

(Image credit: Google/Minsang Choi)

He has since deleted his post on X (the platform formerly known as Twitter) where he initially shared information about the shortcut. We do have the images he posted. They show a settings menu of presumably Choi configuring Search Your Screenshot on an iPhone. The second picture shows the shortcut appearing on the action button’s unique interface with the third image displaying results for a Teenage Engineering computer case.

If you want to see it in action, 9To5Google, as part of its coverage, made a YouTube video demonstrating Search Your Screenshot. Choi says you can try out the tool by installing the Google Search app on your iPhone or downloading the shortcut from iCloud.

How to enable on older iPhones

Going back to 9To5Google’s report, they made an interesting discovery. Search Your Screenshot is not exclusive to the iPhone 15 Pro because it works on older models that support the Back Tap gesture. This means devices as old as the iPhone 8 can run the feature. However, setting it up on an older model requires more work.

Apple has instructions teaching people how to connect shortcuts to Back Tap. It involves going into the Settings menu, choosing the gesture you want to use (a Double Tap or Triple Tap), and then applying Search Your Screenshot. According to the publication, be sure to select “Always Allow” when you first use the tool to enable Google Lens uploads.

After reading through everything, we couldn’t help but wonder about other Android phones. This function isn’t available on Google Search for Android which is strange. Although it may not be the same as Circle to Search, Search Your Screenshot is still a useful tool. So we contacted the tech giant asking if there are plans for further expansion. We’ll let you know if we hear back.

Til then, check out TechRadar’s list of the best iPhones for 2024.

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