Google to let global Android users search for content within other apps

Google to let global Android users search for content within other apps

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Google will let global Android smartphone users search for content in other applications without having to exit them, a move aimed at boosting its search engine and driving engagement for app developers.

Google’s new Circle to Search feature, to be rolled out “gradually” from January 31 on some premium Android smartphones, will allow users to select text, images or videos in any other apps, and have Google search them within the apps, the US technology giant said on Thursday.

For example, users will be able to search for details on what a content creator is wearing in a video by circling or tapping on the items, after they activate the Circle to Search function by long-pressing their Android phone’s home button or navigation bar, the company said.

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The feature will enable quick access to information without having to leave the app, potentially driving engagement for apps and the content displayed, it said.

Early testing showed that users “typically return to the app they’re using” after activating the feature, according to Google.

The company did not disclose when the function will be available on iPhones, with a representative telling the South China Morning Post that it “looks forward to bringing this powerful new capability to more people over time”. Android handsets that will feature the new function will include the Samsung Electronics’ new Galaxy S24 Series, it said.

Google parent Alphabet’s revenue in the three months ending September 30 rose 11 per cent from the same period a year before, which the company attributed to “meaningful growth” in search and YouTube, according to its earnings report published in October. Advertising revenue grew 9.5 per cent year on year to US$59.6 billion.

Google will let global Android smartphone users search for content in other applications without having to exit them. Photo: Shutterstock Images

The company is still facing uncertainties in Hong Kong, where the government is seeking to have the US technology giant remove the protest song “Glory to Hong Kong”, which became popular during anti-government unrest in the city in 2019. Google has expressed unwillingness to ban the song from its search engine without a court order.

While a Hong Kong court blocked the government’s injunction bid in July, a month later it allowed the city’s government to appeal the decision.

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