For several months, I’ve pointed out that Google’s visual search tools seem to overlap and complicate user experience. For example, Circle to Search (CtS) essentially provides all the capabilities of Google Lens. Meanwhile, Gemini’s screen share feature replicates everything that CtS does, and Gemini Live’s camera mode mirrors Lens’ camera functionality.
This overlapping nature can be quite confusing. Recently, it appears that Google may enhance this confusion by integrating a core CtS gesture into the Gemini overlay’s “Ask about screen” feature. Currently, when you use this feature, the AI takes a screenshot of your entire screen and allows you to type in a query.
However, if you want to focus on a specific element, it requires you to describe that element in your text, which can be cumbersome. In such cases, I typically resort to CtS for its simplicity. It’s much easier to circle the relevant on-screen element than to articulate it in words.
This ease of targeting specific items seems to be on the horizon for the Gemini overlay’s search functionality. This development was first highlighted by Android Authority, which discovered hints in the beta version of the Google app. The new build introduces a floating “Tell me about this” button, accompanied by the instruction “Circle anything to submit it to Gemini.” Once activated, this feature would replace the “Ask about screen” option, allowing users to circle on-screen elements directly related to their queries.
While this change aims to simplify searching for users who primarily rely on Gemini, it does further blur the distinctions among Google’s various visual search tools. Currently, this feature is still in development, and there’s no clear timeline for when it will be rolled out to the public.
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