Circle to Search showing up on some Pixel 8, 8 Pro devices already

Google’s ‘Circle to Search’ feature is reportedly hitting Pixel 8 and 8 Pro devices already, including some users in Canada.

According to a post in the r/GooglePixel subreddit, some Pixel 8 series owners noticed the feature on their devices earlier today. A few Canadians chimed in on the post to say they had received it as well, while some others said they didn’t have it yet.

As with most Google updates, this one seems to be a server-side switch of some kind, with those who have the feature claiming they didn’t do anything to get it. Meanwhile, others who don’t have it reported installing various recent app and system updates to no avail.

I checked both the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro I have, and neither had Circle to Search. You can check by simply pressing and holding on the gesture navigation bar on your Pixel 8 or 8 Pro. If you have Circle to Search, it should pop up when you do this — if nothing happens, Circle to Search hasn’t hit your device yet. Apparently, there’s no notification that the feature is there, so checking by using the gesture is the best bet.

Google previously confirmed that Circle to Search would be part of the January 2024 Feature Drop and would roll out on January 31st. However, it will be exclusive to the Pixel 8 series, so if you’ve got an older Pixel, you’re out of luck.

Other new features coming as part of the Feature Drop include Magic Compose (only for Pixel 8 series) and Photomoji (Pixel 3a and newer). Google didn’t share a specific release date for those features.

Header image credit: Google

Source: Reddit