Google's Circle to Search update brings real-time translation while scrolling

Circle to Search is Google's Gemini-powered feature that was introduced back in mid-January 2024. It first showed up on the Samsung Galaxy S24 series, and then the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro got it later that month.

It lets you use gestures like circling, highlighting, scribbling, or tapping to search for anything on your screen without switching apps. The tool already handled translation, but now the company is bringing an improvement that will let you see translations as you scroll.

Google says that before this update, you had to restart the translation process every time you moved down the page or the on-screen content changed. This was a pain, especially on social media feeds or when looking at restaurant menus online.

Translation is one of the most-used features in Circle to Search — you can get more context for social posts from creators who speak a different language, or browse menus when you’re booking restaurant reservations while traveling abroad. But until now, you had to restart the translation process every time you scrolled or the content on the screen changed.

To use the feature, you activate Circle to Search by long-pressing the home button or navigation bar. From there, you just tap the "Translate" icon and then press the "scroll and translate" button. After that, as you move down a page or even jump to another application, the text will continue to translate without any further interruption.

Just as Circle to Search first landed on Samsung devices, its new update will follow a similar path. Google says this continuous translation capability will begin rolling out this week on Android, starting with select Samsung Galaxy devices first, before presumably hitting other compatible phones later on.

Google is constantly updating Circle to Search with new features. For example, last year, the company added an audio search that lets you identify a song just by having the phone listen to it, or even if you just sing or hum the melody.

Circle To Search is not limited to smartphones though. The Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite became available today, featuring a 10.9-inch screen, an Exynos 1380 processor, and an included S-Pen, and yes, it has Circle to Search.