There’s no doubt that Circle to Search has stood out as one of the best additions to Android devices in a while. It’s a clever feature that makes searching much easier. An app teardown now reveals that Circle to Search might soon be headed to Gemini, and we’re pretty excited, to be fair.
Circle to Search might soon be coming to Gemini
As revealed by AssembleDebug (via Android Authority), Google might be planning to bring Circle to Search to Gemini. It’s not currently available. But the ever-resourceful AssembleDebug somehow got the feature enabled while running Google app v6.18.37.sa.arm64 beta. This gives us an early glimpse into what the integration could look like.
Here’s what’s different. Circle to Search in Gemini isn’t just a copy of the original tool. Instead of instantly delivering results as soon as you highlight something, Gemini takes a beat. After you circle an item on your screen, you’re prompted to follow up with a voice or text query. It’s more conversational and a little slower, but also more thoughtful. That change could make the feature more powerful in the long run.
Suppose you’re watching a video or browsing a shopping app, and you see something interesting. With a quick gesture, you highlight it. Then you ask Gemini what it is, where to buy it, or how to translate it. The experience feels more deliberate than the fire-and-forget approach of the standard Circle to Search, and it plays into Gemini’s strength as a more interactive assistant.
This could also signal a broader shift in how Google wants people to use AI on their phones. Not just for quick searches, but as a tool you interact with in context. If Circle to Search becomes part of Gemini, it could make the assistant a lot more useful and a lot more visible in daily use. No word yet on when this will roll out to the public, but the beta build suggests it’s well on its way.
