September 9, 2026

Circle something on the screen to search it

On a Pixel, hold the bar at the bottom, then circle the thing. No screenshot required.

• Android
• Easy · 1 min
• Pixel phones on Android 15 and 16
• Some Samsung phones
• Fix: use Circle to Search on Android
• Cheat sheet

How to do it

1. 01

   On a Pixel, touch and hold the horizontal bar at the bottom of the screen until the search overlay appears.

2. 02

   Circle, highlight, or tap the part you care about.

3. 03

   On a Samsung phone, touch and hold the home button instead of the gesture bar.

4. 04

   If nothing happens, the phone does not have Circle to Search. Holding harder will not add it.

It sends the selected region to Google search. Do not use it on a screen that shows a password, a code, or someone else's private message.