Circle to Search — Google’s new visible lookup characteristic launched on the Samsung Galaxy S24 collection and Pixel Eight collection earlier this yr — has made its means to many different smartphones over the previous couple of months. Now iPhone house owners may also use a type of Circle to Search characteristic through the Google app for iOS and an Apple Shortcut. In contrast to the Android model of Circle to Search, the Shortcut on iOS has some limitations, and depends on Google Lens.
Google Lens Design Supervisor Minsang Choi introduced the arrival of a brand new Shortcut on the Google app for iOS through a publish on X (previously Twitter). Dubbed “Search your screenshot”, it is going to allow you to carry out a customized motion referred to as “Search Picture With Lens” through the Shortcuts app. When activated, the Shortcut takes a screenshot and makes use of Google Lens to search for the contents of the picture.
Google App iOS group simply launched tremendous cool shortcut that lets you lens visible search utilizing your motion button on iPhone 15 Professional collection. It is mainly circle to go looking however quicker! Please obtain google app and do this out! : https://t.co/T0GR141Pim pic.twitter.com/AN2C9bEsA9
— Minsang Choi (@radiofun8) Might 8, 2024
In an effort to use the Shortcut on an iPhone, you will want to make sure that your telephone is working iOS 13 or later and obtain the newest model of the Google app for iOS. The Shortcut may be accessed straight by tapping the hyperlink shared by Choi on an iPhone. Alternatively, you possibly can select to arrange the Shortcut manually by choosing Take screenshot and adopted by Search Picture With Lens.
Whereas Android customers can merely maintain the navigation bar to make use of the Circle to Search characteristic, iPhone house owners can expedite the method of launching the Shortcut by mapping to the Motion button on the iPhone 15 Professional and iPhone 15 Professional Max. In the meantime, navigating to Accessibility > Contact > Again Faucet within the Settings app will will let you launch the Shortcut utilizing a double faucet or triple faucet gesture on most fashionable iPhone fashions.
Whereas launching Google’s new Shortcut is sort of easy as soon as it has been arrange, it’s restricted by way of performance in comparison with the Circle to Search characteristic on Android smartphones. Whereas the Shortcut will move your screenshot to Google Lens for a visible lookup, you possibly can’t draw a circle or spotlight part of the display to search for. Nonetheless, it is a handy technique to shortly search for one thing in your iPhone with a few faucets.
