How to Use the Circle to Search Feature on Android 15?

Android OS has vastly improved feature-wise with every release we have seen in recent years. The current Android 15 packs incredible features that are widely popular among users. One of those is the circle to search feature, which we have explained in this article.

You can make a circular motion on any content on the screen, and Google will fetch search results for that. The feature is not limited to that. It also allows you to search for an image, quickly translate a webpage, or use the phone number being displayed on a page to initiate a call or message instantly.

How to Enable the Circle Search Feature on an Android Device?

Your device must be running on the latest Android 15, which you can upgrade by accessing the System Update section on your device Settings.

Next, you have to check for the Circle to Search feature and enable it in the settings.

1. Open the Settings app.
2. In the search panel of Settings, type circle to search.
3. When the ” Circle to search appears in the search result, tap on it to access the section where this setting is available. (Usually in the navigation settings)
4. Press the toggle next to Circle to Search to enable the feature.
   

By default, the feature gets enabled when a device installs Android 15.

If you have no interest in using the Circle to Search feature, follow the same steps as above to turn off the toggle next to the feature.

Depending on your device, the Circle to Search feature may be available in a different section of the device settings.

Usually, searching from the Settings search panel should do the trick. Otherwise, I suggest checking the navigation settings on your device.

How to Use Android 15 Circle to Search?

The Circle to search feature will slightly differ depending on the navigation layout you use on your Android device.

If you use the virtual home button layout, long pressing it will trigger the Circle to search.

Those using the gesture navigation layout need to long-press the horizontal bar at the mid-bottom of their screen.

After the circle to search feature is put to use, the screen will get illuminated and freeze.

Now, use your fingers to draw a circle(it doesn’t have to be perfect) on the portion of the screen that you find interesting.

It could be a word, an email ID, a phone number, an image, or anything. The Google search will instantly show search results regarding the thing you have circled on the screen.

To refine the search, you can resize the highlighted part on the screen(the one you circled) by dragging the borders of the selector.

Here is an example to use Circle to search.

I want to find the meaning of a specific medicinal term found on a webpage.

1. Long pressing the navigation bar invokes the circle to search.
2. Using my fingers, I draw a circle(you can even draw a square/box) around the specific term found on a product about which I’m curious to know more.
3. Google search shows the result containing details about the term I highlighted using the circle to search.

How to Translate a Page Content using Circle to Search?

When Circle to Search is invoked, it also offers an option to instantly translate the content on a webpage. You can specifically use the feature to perform an instant translation.

Let us assume you are on a webpage that is showing content in a language you don’t understand.

1. Press the navigation bar or the home button to trigger the circle to search.
2. Once the screen gets illuminated, press the Translate button appearing on the Google search bar that popped up. The page will translate instantly.
   

The original language of the page content and the translated lingo will be displayed on the screen.

Normally, the page will be translated into a widely used common language of your region.

You can change that by tapping on the translated language and changing to another language of your choice.

In the screenshot, the page with the Russian language was translated to Hindi by default. However, I wanted the translation in English.

So, I tapped on Hindi to change the language and select English from the list of supported languages.

How to Interact with an Email or Phone Using Circle to Search?

Let us assume you are looking for the email ID of a specific person or the support team of a product/service on the web.

It can get tedious to visit the website of the service, copy or note down the email, launch Gmail, and compose an email.

Here is when the circle-to-search feature can come in handy.

1. Visit the webpage of the product or service you want to interact with.
2. Once you see an email ID to whom you want to send an email, press the navigation bar to trigger the circle to search.
3. After the screen gets illuminated, simply tap on the email ID, and a quick action menu will pop up with the option Email. Tap on it.
4. Select the mail service you want to use.
5. Compose your mail once the mailing app launches.
   

This method is faster than copying and pasting an email ID and separately launching the mailing app to send an email.

Similarly, when you see a phone number on the screen, to call that number or save it, use the same steps as above. You will see an action menu with an option to place a phone call to that number.

How to Search an Audio using the Circle to Search?

The Circle to Search panel also offers an audio button to look up the sound from the music playing in the background or the screen of the device.

1. Press the navigation bar or home button to trigger the Circle to Search.
2. Tap the audio button to get search suggestions regarding the song/sound playing currently on the device or near you.
   

Circle to Search Not Available: How to Fix?

Unless you upgrade your device to Android 15, Circle to search will not work. Sometimes, if for some reason, Circle to Search is turned off, you need to ensure it is enabled.

Google Assistant or Gemini should be set as the default digital assistant on your device.

1. Open the Android Settings.
2. In the search panel, type Gemini.
3. Tap on Gemini Settings once it appears in the search results.
4. Go to Digital Assistants from Google and tap on it.
5. Make sure to select either Gemini or Google Assistant as the digital assistant on your phone/tablet.
   

Note that on some Android devices, these settings may vary to some degree. Use the search tab in the Settings to learn about them.

Also, bugs in the Google app can cause issues with its features. So, make sure to update the Google App to the most recent version.

1. Access the Play Store app and tap the connected Gmail account avatar at the top.
2. Tap on Updates Available.
3. If the Google app has a new version available, press Update to install it.
   

The Circle to search feature is exclusive to the Android OS. However, iOS users can follow some smart workarounds and use Circle to search on iPhones.

Bottom Line

Circle to Search minimizes the effort you need to launch the Google app to type a search query manually. It is a great addition to the voice command Google Assistant/Gemini Voice command to enhance the capabilities of Google Search. If you use Android 15, try out Circle to Search and have fun exploring the web while using other functions the feature offers.

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