In 2024, Google introduced an enhanced version of mobile web search called “Circle to Search”, which allows users to quickly search for anything on their screen with a simple gesture. Now, the company is rolling out a similar feature for Apple iPhones. Dubbed “”Search Screen with Google Lens”, the new feature enables users to search for anything on the screen by drawing, highlighting, and tapping on it without having to take a screenshot or open a new tab. Apart from offering shopping-related search results, the new functionality can also be used to identify locations, animals, and plants and process any request using Google search. Compared to the Circle to Search on Android, which works system-wide, this is a bit limited since it only works when using Chrome or the Google app. If you want to use the new Circle to Search feature in Chrome or the Google app, simply tap on the three-dot menu from the top right corner and click on “Search Screen with Google Lens”. In a blog post, Google said that iPhone users will also see a new Lens icon in the address bar, a feature Google added to the desktop version of Chrome last year. In addition to normal search results, users will also see AI overviews in Lens results, meaning you won’t need to add a question to your search query. The new functionality is currently rolling out to English language users where AI overviews are available and will soon be coming to the desktop and mobile versions of Chrome as well.
