Use Circle to Search on messaging bubbles with Android

 Circle to search Feature expected to work with Messaging Bubbles with Android 15

Circle to Search allows users to highlight an area on the screen by circling on it and enabling its visual lookup on the web. It might might soon work even when message bubbles are expanded, after Google's Android 15 update rolls out to users, according to a report. At the moment, Google's visual lookup tool powered by artificial intelligence (AI) stops working as soon as a message bubble appears on the screen. However, this functionality might be changed soon. This development comes after Google was reported to be expanding its Circle to Search feature to more devices, ending its exclusivity on Samsung and Google handsets. Following are the some of the important points:-

Circle to Search feature is said to work even when message bubbles appear

Code in Android 15 suggests you’ll be able to use Circle to Search while a messaging bubble is on screen.

Currently, Circle to Search doesn’t work on messaging bubbles, forcing you to use alternative methods to look something up.

It’s unclear when this change will go live, but we managed to activate it already, suggesting it could go live soon. The visual lookup tool might soon be available on more Android devices.

Search is Google’s core business, which is why its Circle to Search feature makes so much sense. The feature makes it really easy to search Google for information about whatever is showing on the screen. Google wants to bring this feature to as many Android users as possible, which is why they’re working on making it compatible with as many surfaces as possible. Currently, Circle to Search doesn’t work when a messaging bubble is shown on the screen, but that will change in a future Android 15 release. Google's AI-powered Circle to Search feature might soon work even when message bubbles appear in floating windows. At present, the visual lookup tool's overlay does not show on the screen if a chat bubble is opened. Circle to Search is invoked by long-pressing on the home button or the navigation bar, neither of these can be accessed when message bubbles are opened.

While digging through the Android 15 source code, code that enables Circle to Search to be run when a messaging bubble has been expanded. Right now, if you try to invoke Circle to Search when a message bubble is showing, nothing happens. The Circle to Search overlay doesn’t appear, nor does any sort of message that tells you that bubbles aren’t supported. As a result, if a friend sends you something that you want to search Google for, you’ll need to use an alternative method to look it up. After delving into the source code for Android 15, the publication found references for activating Circle to Search when message bubbles are opened. The feature allows users to highlight an area on the screen by circling on it and enabling its visual lookup on the web. It supports actions such as scribbling, circling or drawing over an object and text on the screen.

The reason that Circle to Search doesn’t work on bubbles is that currently it doesn’t allow the home button or navigation handle to be long-pressed while a bubble has been expanded. Long-pressing the home button or navigation handle is the only method to invoke Circle to Search at this moment, so if those gestures aren’t available, then there’s no way to use the feature. Thus, the solution is to update Android so that these long-press gestures work even when a bubble has been expanded. Although Google introduced code for this feature back in Android 15 Beta 4, it isn’t used yet, not even in the latest Android 15 QPR1 Beta 2 release. We managed to manually activate the feature, though and can confirm that Circle to Search works in messaging bubbles when it’s enabled. Since this change is quite simple and is already functional, people wouldn’t be surprised if it’s enabled in time for the Android 15 QPR1 public release. 

A recent report suggested that Google's Circle to Search feature might soon be introduced on more Android smartphones. Circle to Search debuted in January on the Samsung Galaxy S24 series and Google Pixel 8 series. At Google I/O, Google said that it aimed to have Circle to Search on 200 million devices by the end of the year. To achieve that goal, Google updated Circle to Search to make it work on tablets and foldables, work when split-screen mode is enabled, and work when neither Google Assistant nor Gemini is set as the default assistant. The Xiaomi 14T series is speculated to be one of the first handsets to get it, apart from Google and Samsung. It will be launched on September 26 in Berlin. Adding bubble support will further increase the surfaces where Circle to Search can be used, making it more useful for more people around the world.