You can use Circle to Search on the Nothing Phone 2 and Phone 2a

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The Android 15-based update brings the feature after undergoing notable testing.

Nothing Phone 2a review
(Image credit: Harish Jonnalagadda / Android Central)

What you need to know

  • In a community post, Nothing has shared the arrival of Circle to Search on its latest phones.
  • They include the Phone 2, Phone 2a, and Phone 2a Plus, all of which have received stable Android 15 recently.
  • Nothing OS 3.0 brought in notable new features alongside customizations.

Circle to Search is one of the more popular features Google launched in 2024, at least on premium models. Nothing has just announced that the feature is available on its budget phones like the Phone 2a and Phone 2a Plus next to the Phone 2.

In the community post, Nothing shared that the Circle to Search is available via the Nothing 3.0 operating system, which is based on Google's latest Android 15. The company notes in the blog post that the feature is currently being rolled out to the aforementioned devices "after passing additional testing."

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Circle to Search on Phone 2a
(Image credit: Nothing)

It has also shared the steps on how to use the Circle to Search on the respective phones. The conventional methods include long pressing on the home button if users prefer the three navigation buttons on their devices. Users who opt for gestures can long press the navigation bar to trigger the Circle to Search feature. Enabling the feature on the said Nothing phones is relatively simple.

Users need to navigate to the device's Settings > Special features > Gestures > Navigation mode > Circle to Search. Also, if you own either Phone 2, Phone 2a, or Phone 2a Plus, you would want to make sure that you are running Nothing OS 3.0 and with the following build numbers:

  • Phone (2): Pong-V3.0-241207-0124
  • Phone (2a): Pacman-V3.0-241210-2057
  • Phone (2a) Plus: PacmanPro-V3.0-241126-1448 (Beta build)

The Nothing OS 3.0 has recently dropped for the Phone 2 and Phone 2a after moving out of the beta. The update not only brought the Android 15 to the line, but it also introduced some new features across the interface, including a revamped Gallery app, which now has advanced search.

Further, AI is included in the app drawer for easy app discovery, which aims to prioritize users' go-to apps for faster access.

Vishnu Sarangapurkar
Vishnu Sarangapurkar
News Writer

Vishnu is a freelance news writer for Android Central. Since 2018, he has written about consumer technology, especially smartphones, computers, and every other gizmo connected to the internet. When he is not at the keyboard, you can find him on a long drive or lounging on the couch binge-watching a crime series.