What you need to know
- An early demo following an APK dive surfaces additional details regarding Google's "Audio search" for Circle to Search.
- Details in the Google app's recent beta shows that Circle to Search can listen in on your device's music while also accepting humming and singing for queries.
- Other information states that Google plans on bringing a split screen mode to Circle to Search for Pixel devices.
Google hammers away at more AI software for its Pixel 9 series; however, there's more in store for its convenient search feature.
We've been expecting Circle to Search to pick up audio lookup for a while, and a demo by Android Authority takes it for a spin. An APK dive into the latest beta version (15.32.36) of the Google app shows how this feature, "Audio Search," might work in a stable release.
From the demo, producing Circle to Search will display a new music note beside the search text box. Tapping it will overlay a graphic on top of your current display. If you've hit play on Spotify or another listening service, Circle to Search will use that for your query.
The software will listen in for a few seconds before switching your display to the Google app's search results. The song's title will pop into the text field at the top, as well.
What's more, the latest beta builds upon previous suspicions by showing the company's plans to let users "sing or hum" a song on this screen. This is similar to "Search a Song" in the Google app or YouTube Music, accessible by hitting the microphone icon or Search in the latter app. Users can play, hum, or sing a song for music-based queries.
The publication states that Google may display a quick bubble when opening Circle to Search after this feature arrives for informative reasons.
It was first speculated that Google was developing an audio lookup feature for Circle to Search in June. Back then, the feature was awfully barebones, only offering a quick glimpse at the music note icon that would signify its availability. Moreover, it still doesn't seem as though Google will let users attach a text-based add-on to their query before the software runs its search.
The demo suggests users can alter the lookup afterward, which might have to do. Despite the feature advancing between beta versions, there's no telling when users could see this rollout.
In other news, there's a chance Google will bring split-screen support to its search function. Shortly after Android 15 Beta 1.2, it was discovered that Pixel phones could be in line for this QoL (quality of life) addition. Samsung devices don't suffer from this lack of support, which could indicate a simple lapse during software development on Google's side.
