Google brings 'Circle to search' to iPhones with limited capabilities

Google's circle-to-search feature is a huge hit among Android phones. Now, the company is bringing the same to Apple devices, but with limited capabilities.

On the Android device, the owner has to use their fingertip to circle a particular object in the photo and a pop-up Google search screen appears offering information about it.

Circle to Search will also work on social media posts and videos (have to be paused).

However, due to limited capabilities, the circle to search feature for iPhone is being as called as 'Search this Screen'. It will be limited to the Search app and Chrome browser. User has to just tap the three-dot menu, choose 'Search this Screen' and then select what you’d like to search.

For instance, if the device owner is reading a news article or a blog on fine dining restaurants in the city, the user finds a particular photo of hotel appealing, he/she has to tap the three-dot menu, choose 'Search this Screen' and then circle the image.

Circle to search feature on Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra. 

Google will instantly gets data on specifics such as the restaurant's website, direction, menu and reviews.

If he/she likes it, can reserve the table for dining in the evening or the next day.

The same 'Search this screen' works the same on the Chrome app for iPhones.

The new update will be rolled out this week and will be available globally on both Chrome and the Google app for iOS.

In a related development, Google will also offer an Artificial Intelligence (AI) Overview feature to iPhones.

Google AI Overview feature on iPhone.

It is an experimental search result and will begin to appear more often in the Google Lens results. Users need not have to add a question for the visual search.

AI Overview will offer a simple explanation of the topic or context of the image search along with links to genuine resources on the web.

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