Google is rolling out major updates to its Circle to Search feature, bringing deeper AI functionality and a new gaming assistant mode to Android devices. The tools are designed to deliver more relevant information on the spot, without ever switching apps.
AI Mode Comes to Circle to Search
Circle to Search now supports Google’s AI Mode, previously only available in select contexts. This update lets users explore complex questions more naturally, with follow-up queries and expanded answers powered by Gemini, Google’s most advanced AI models.
Accessing AI Mode is simple: long press the home button or navigation bar, circle or tap on any element on screen, and when an AI-generated Overview appears, scroll down and tap “dive deeper with AI Mode.” This adds conversational context and reasoning to search results, helping users unravel detailed topics like historical events, technical processes, or science concepts, all from within the current app.
AI Mode is available through Circle to Search and Google Lens via the Google app, on both Android and iOS, in the U.S. and India.
Gaming Help Without the Pause Button
Google is also introducing in-game support for Circle to Search. Android users can now highlight on-screen elements during mobile gameplay to receive an AI Overview, complete with relevant video content and strategy tips. Whether you’re trying to figure out who that mysterious character is or how to beat the next level, the help comes to you without interrupting your session.
The feature is live in regions where AI Overviews are supported, continuing Google’s push to blend utility and convenience directly into user experiences.
More Visual, More Digestible AI Overviews
Improvements to AI Overviews aim to make responses easier to scan and understand. Backed by the latest Gemini updates, AI Overviews now include richer visuals and better organization of key information. Expect clearer summaries and more context layered directly into results which will be useful whether you’re looking up a concept, identifying a product, or troubleshooting an issue.
Available on Over 300 Million Devices
With these updates, Circle to Search has reached more than 300 million Android devices globally. It’s not just a search feature anymore. Rather, it’s becoming a hands-on, always-there assistant for navigating the content in front of you, whether that’s a dense block of text, a product photo, or your latest gaming obsession.
More details are available on the official Google Search blog.
