Circle to Search is available on Pixel phones right now, follow these steps

Throughout Galaxy Unpacked, a brand new Circle to Search (CTS) characteristic was introduced for the Galaxy S24 collection. Google mentioned it plans to carry the characteristic to the Pixel 8 collection on January 31, 2024, however you may really begin utilizing it immediately in case you comply with just a few steps. And it really works on older Pixel telephones, too.

Circle to Search is a operate that permits you to seek for something in your display screen by circling, highlighting, tapping, or scribbling over the topic. All of the person has to do is lengthy press on the house button or gesture navigation deal with, circle the textual content or picture, and Google Lens will carry out a search with out you having to go away the app you’re on.

In keeping with Mishaal Rahman, you don’t have to attend for the Circle to Search rollout to start out utilizing the operate. Enabling the characteristic on the Pixel 8 collection solely takes just a few steps. What’s extra, you may apparently activate the characteristic on different Pixel telephones. However because it’s meant to be an unique for the Pixel 8 collection, there are some further steps that have to be adopted.

Rahman says you want two gadgets it’s worthwhile to make Circle to Search work. A kind of gadgets is code to make it potential to long-press the house/gesture navigation deal with and the opposite merchandise is a model of the Google App that comprises the exercise that launches if you use Circle to Search — known as “OmnientActivity.”

Activating the characteristic on the Pixel 8 collection is a three-step course of that goes as follows:

1. Verify to see in case your model of the Google app has “cts” within the model identify. You can too sideload this model Rahman extracted from his S24 Extremely.
2. After you have the suitable app model, you’ll must run these instructions:
   1. adb shell cmd device_config put launcher long_press_home_button_to_search true;adb shell cmd device_config put launcher long_press_home_button_to_search_mpr true;adb shell cmd device_config put launcher press_hold_nav_handle_to_search true;adb shell cmd device_config put launcher press_hold_nav_handle_to_search_mpr true;adb shell cmd device_config put launcher ENABLE_SETTINGS_OSE_CUSTOMIZATIONS true;adb shell cmd device_config put launcher ENABLE_LONG_PRESS_NAV_HANDLE true;adb shell cmd device_config put launcher ENABLE_LONG_PRESS_NAV_HANDLE_MPR true;adb shell cmd device_config put launcher INVOKE_OMNI_LPH true;adb shell cmd device_config put launcher INVOKE_OMNI_LPH_MPR true;adb shell cmd device_config set_sync_disabled_for_tests persistent
3. After you reboot your gadget, Circle to Search might be enabled.

For Pixel gadgets that aren’t the Pixel 8 collection, it seems the Google app instantly shuts down the OmnientActivity. Consequently, Rahman says you’ll must root your cellphone and apply the Magisk Module. This can make the app suppose your cellphone is a Pixel 8 Professional.

Rahman additionally features a method so that you can revert your cellphone again to its earlier state. You are able to do this by operating the ADB command “adb shell cmd device_config set_sync_disabled_for_tests none.”

This can be a lot of labor simply to make use of a single characteristic that might be out subsequent week, particularly in case you’re making an attempt to allow it on an older Pixel cellphone.  To not point out that utilizing a spoofing software like Magish Module could cause some apps to crash. So we wouldn’t advocate this selection until you’re determined to attempt Circle to Search earlier than anybody else.