We've been impressed with the Circle to Search feature available on the Samsung Galaxy S24 and Google Pixel 8 phones, but if you don't own one of those phones, it looks like you'll have to wait a while to get it.
According to a press release (via SamMobile), issued by Samsung in the Netherlands celebrating record pre-orders in the country, the Circle to Search feature “may be available on Android devices from other brands starting October 5.”
So you only have to wait eight months, if you don't have a Pixel 8 or Galaxy S24. It seems that Samsung has signed some kind of exclusivity agreement with Google, so companies like OnePlus and Motorola cannot take advantage of it for a certain period of time.
Of course, early October is the time we get new versions of Android (Android 14 was released on October 4), so Circle to Search may become more available as part of the Android 15 update.
When September ends
The October 5 reference now appears to have disappeared from the press release, so it is apparently information that Samsung and Google did not want to be in the public domain and may have been included in error.
That said, one line that still remains says that Circle to Search will be exclusive to Samsung and Google phones until September, so older Pixels and Galaxy phones could get the functionality before the October 5 date.
If you have no idea what we're talking about, Circle to Search lets you circle, scribble, or tap anything on the screen to perform a Google search. It's like Google Lens, but easier to access from whatever app you're in.
Those of you with phones that don't yet have Circle to Search can get it from Microsoft before getting it from Google – it looks like a similar feature will be introduced to Microsoft Edge on mobile devices soon.
