What you need to know
- Google is reportedly working on a feature for Gemini on Android that's similar to Circle to Search.
- A recent version held clues about a "circling" function for content in uploaded images with Gemini, so users can make sure the AI is focused on what's important.
- A Circle to Search update in September brought continuous real-time translation to certain devices.
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A report following a dive into Gemini on Android suggests Google's working on a new feature with inspiration from a feature you'll recognize.
AssembleDebug, with Android Authority, dove into a recent Gemini version on Android and discovered a feature update in development. The feature concerns uploaded images to Gemini, which users would typically do to receive information about the subject matter. However, what the tipster states is that there is the ability to "circle" or otherwise highlight a specific area on that photo for the AI.
The feature is very similar to Android's Circle to Search, which allows users to circle a screenshot and run a Search query about it. For Gemini, the tipster discovered that the AI can explain what the image is, but it also can think for itself and identify what's been circled without user input.
In the tipster's example, it seems Gemini will mention the screenshot as a whole before focusing on the content you've highlighted. The AI then gave a brief explanation of what the user selected to hopefully fulfill any questions they may have. The tipster also mentions that Gemini can lean on Google's AI image software (Nano Banana) to "remove" the highlighted/circled part of an image.
For right now, it seems we might be waiting on this feature to arrive (if it ever does). As the post points out, it's not entirely integrated in Gemini, as the menu to circle imagery is pretty barebones.
One feature inspires another
Google's been refining its Circle to Search experience this year, which started around the time the Galaxy S25 series launched. AI Overviews made their debut on the feature, bringing quick, bite-sized briefs for users, giving them the info they need to know in a hurry. Google said AI Overviews in CtoS includes places, trending images, and more visual search queries. In short, it's much more useful now.
Circle to Search also gained "one-tap actions," meaning users can lean on it to pick up phone numbers, emails, and URLs.
Just last month, Google updated the feature again with a continuous real-time translation feature. It started rolling out on "select" Android phones and Galaxy devices. Such devices can now scroll across a page and have it translated before their eyes across social media.
