Circle to Search is one of Google’s best new features because it makes searching what’s on your screen a breeze. Hold down the navigation handle or home button and tap, draw, or scribble over the text or image you want to Google search. Google has expanded the feature’s availability to more Galaxy and Pixel devices since it was first introduced on the Samsung Galaxy S24 series. In early May, Google rolled out the feature to its Pixel Tablet, but it was not compatible with Android 15’s action key.
Now with the latest Android 15 beta, Circle Search finally works with the action key for tablets. The action key is the button used to open the app drawer.
Previously, the navigation handle disappeared when switching to Android 15’s persistent taskbar. This meant no way to activate Circle Search unless going back to the previous taskbar style.
Now in Beta 3, holding the action key enables Circle Search even with the persistent taskbar. Upon updating, tablets get a notice explaining how to use this new method.
The change ensures tablet users can enjoy the convenient Circle Search method no matter which taskbar view they prefer. Split-screen support was also added, letting people search across multiple visible apps.
By resolving the action key incompatibility, Google makes one of its best features work seamlessly on all Android 15 tablets. Circle Search continues expanding to more devices through updates.
