As part of yesterday’s Android 16 QPR2 launch and new features drop, Google is ending Samsung’s exclusivity on continuous Circle to Search translations.
The existing CtS capability captures just your current screen and then translates. “Scroll and translate” lets you scroll the page and see text in your desired language after a brief moment. This is a big improvement over reading the page’s translation, closing Circle to Search, scrolling, and then launching CtS again.
This is most useful inside third-party apps with feeds. Google points to “reading menus, news articles, or social media posts and comments.”
Behind-the-scenes, Circle to Search is initiating a screen sharing session as seen by the status bar notification. On the screen, you get a prominent glow that indicates the continuous mode is on. Additionally, you get a bottom pill that’s identical to the one used by Search Live. Tap the ‘x’ to end continuous translation, while you can tap the pill to hide it in the bottom-right corner.
When Google announced Scroll and translate in September, it was exclusive to Samsung devices. Yesterday, Google mentioned it on android.com, though it has a caveat: “Available on select devices and internet connection required. Works on compatible apps and surfaces. Results may vary depending on visual matches. Check responses for accuracy.”
As of today, we’re seeing on all the Pixel phones we checked, including those running the stable version of the Google app. Leave a comment below if you’re seeing it on other devices
This expansion joins how Circle to Search and Google Lens (including on iOS) can now be used to check on scammy messages in any app.
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