Google to update Circle to Search with full-screen visual search: Report

With the latest Circle to Search update, users can now default to full-screen analysis instead of manually selecting on-screen elements

Google is rolling out a notable upgrade to its Circle to Search (CtS) feature on Android, aimed at making searches more relevant by combining visual context with text input. According to 9To5Google, the feature will now automatically attach a full screenshot of the user’s display when a Google Search is initiated within the CtS interface—enabling more contextual responses.

 

The update is currently in beta testing and is expected to roll out widely in the coming weeks. When the feature first becomes available, users will see a prompt titled “Search using your whole screen” explaining the update.

Circle to Search: What’s New 

According to the report, Google has now integrated text search with screen-wide visual analysis. When a user taps the search bar within the Circle to Search interface, a screenshot of the entire screen is automatically attached. This allows Google to analyse on-screen content and offer more tailored search results—whether it's identifying an object, summarising a paragraph, or answering a question based on an image.

 

This new system enhances the original concept of Circle to Search, which allowed users to interactively circle or tap elements on their screen to trigger a Google Search without leaving the app they were in. Now, instead of requiring manual interaction with the screen, users can simply tap the search field to get full-screen contextual results, with Google treating the query as a question about the current screen—essentially, “Ask about this image.”

How It Works 

When Circle to Search is activated and a user types in a query, the system now automatically includes a screenshot of the screen in the search box. If users prefer to conduct a general text-only search without context, they can tap the attached image twice to remove it and proceed as before.

This shift makes context-aware searches easier and more intuitive—ideal for asking about content within apps, articles, videos, or images—without needing to highlight anything manually. Users can still interact with screen elements directly, but now they also have the option to use full-screen analysis as the default behaviour.