What you need to know
- Google could be simplifying Circle to Search with a new follow-up search feature at the bottom of the screen.
- AI Mode enhances user experience, enabling voice input and context-specific queries with a microphone icon.
- The feature is currently in beta testing and not yet available to all users.
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Google is reportedly making its Circle to Search feature simpler to use with this nifty new feature. The tech giant seems to be testing a change that invokes AI Mode at the bottom of the screen, which makes the Google Search bar appear.
For instance, you're looking up some shoes you spotted on Instagram, earlier Circle to Search would show you the best results that match your search, along with links to the product. But if you need to do a follow-up search, then you'd have to use the search bar at the top to type in your query. And this may be changing.
The new interface is said to simplify follow-up queries on Circle to Search(as spotted by 9to5 Google). It will feature a Google Search bar at the bottom of the screen, displayed alongside the initial search results. This allows you to easily look up additional information while keeping the first set of results visible.
The AI Mode is activated by tapping "Ask anything," which features a microphone icon for voice input. This experience includes a 'plus' menu for accessing Nano Banana, and a set of suggested queries that keep the existing "Circle to Search" context. Once a prompt is entered, the user is directed to the full AI experience.
This looks a lot like the experimental pill-shaped bar that Google was testing way back in 2021 and popping up again in late 2024. Google was trying out a bottom-positioned search bar with a cool new Material 3 design to make the Android app better, and now it seems to be showing up in Circle to Search, too! That said, this feature appears to have shown up on the latest Google app beta (version 16.47), and it isn't available to the wider audience as yet. It remains unclear if and when Google will start rolling out this update.
Why did the search bar move to the bottom?
The move is likely designed to improve one-handed usability and to signal a shift to "AI Mode." Previously, the search bar was at the top of the screen. By moving it to the bottom, it mimics the layout of other conversational AI tools and allows you to view the initial image or text results (which stay visible) while typing or speaking your next question.
