Summary
- Circle to Search may soon save your searches as screenshots in the Pixel Screenshot app.
- An early video of the integration in action suggests that the app only saves the circled or selected section as a screenshot and not the entire page.
- The limited availability of the Pixel Screenshots app may prevent most Pixel users from using the tool.
Circle to Search (CtS) is clearly an important tool for Google. This is evident by the multitude of upgrades that have made their way to the tool in a short period of time, coupled with leaks and rumors that more are on the way. These include things like a song identification feature, the ability to detect if an image was AI-generated, and an option to trigger CtS for the entire screen.
In addition, the tool will also be expanded to Samsung’s mid-range phones and tablets, allowing more users to seamlessly find more information about the contents of their phone screen.
Related
Circle to Search comes to Samsung mid-range phones and tablets
No longer just for flagships
Now, Google seems to intend to integrate its new app, Pixel Screenshot, directly into the tool. Currently exclusive to the Pixel 9 series, Pixel Screenshots works with your Gallery app to keep track of your screenshots. It uses AI to capture the context of the screenshot so you can find it later by typing relevant keywords.
According to the folks at Android Authority, who were able to enable the integration in the beta version 15.32.37.29.arm64 of the Google app, the selected section in any CtS search offers Select text (if text is available) and share prompts. However, after integration, users can use a new Save Command Prompt tagging along with Pixel Screenshot app logo.
When you save a CtS query via Pixel Screenshots, a screenshot of the selected section is saved in the app. After saving, you will see a view of it in the app, as well as information such as when the screenshot was saved (time and date). If AI for screenshots is enabled, users will also see options for an AI summary of the screenshot, smart actions, and an option to search for the screenshot with context. This should make it easier for users to save context to a small part of their screen in the Pixel Screenshots app after finding out more about it through CtS.
Limited range for now
While it’s a handy integration, it won’t do much for the majority of Pixel users. First off, as mentioned above, the Pixel Screenshots app is exclusive to the Pixel 9 series, at least for now. According to Google, the app uses the device’s on-device Gemini Nano paired with the Tensor G4 chipset to operate. For reference, the Pixel 8a, 8, and 8 Pro all have access to Gemini Nano, and we expect the app to land on those devices via feature drops, bypassing the hardware barrier. Whether and when that happens is uncertain.
Elsewhere, the availability of the Pixel Screenshots app has a big question mark over it. Google’s own blog post describing the feature states that the app is “not available in all languages or countries,” without explaining which countries and languages are included. This leads us to believe that the integration of CtS and Pixel Screenshots will likely only benefit a small percentage of all Pixel users.
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Google Pixels 9
The Pixel 9 is Google’s most affordable flagship of 2024. It makes some compromises compared to the Pixel 9 Pro and Pro XL, but retains the Google smarts the lineup has become known for. An improved 48MP ultra-wide camera is paired with a 50MP main camera, and the selfie camera has additional autofocus. All of this comes with new Gemini AI features and a 2,700-nit Actua display for exceptional value in this price range.
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Google Pixel 9 Pro
A new addition to Google’s lineup, the Pixel 9 Pro is a smaller premium flagship that sits alongside the Pixel 9 Pro XL. The latter, despite its new XL name, is the direct successor to 2023’s Pixel 8 Pro, while the Pixel 9 Pro brings a new form factor to Google’s high-end offerings. It has the same dimensions as the standard Pixel 9 model while offering all the AI and camera power we’ve come to expect from Google’s Pro lineup.
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Google Pixel 9 Pro
The Pixel 9 Pro XL has a new name but occupies the same space as 2023’s Pixel 8 Pro and has similar specs in roughly the same footprint. The non-XL Pixel 9 Pro is new to the lineup as a smaller premium flagship, but with the 9 Pro XL you get Google’s fastest charging, a larger screen and battery, and all the camera and Gemini AI features you’d get on the smaller 9 Pro.
