Samsung says Circle to Search won’t come to more Android phones until October

Ben Schoon | Feb 2 2024 - 6:18 am PT

Google unveiled its super-useful new Circle to Search feature in January alongside Samsung’s launch of the Galaxy S24 series, but the feature only works on a small handful of Android devices so far. And, according to Samsung, that might not change for several months.

In a press release from the Netherlands this week, Samsung discusses the success of the Galaxy S24 series, which has already surpassed pre-order totals for the Galaxy S23 series. But, within that post, Samsung also offers our first piece of context as to when Circle to Search might expand to more Android phones.

Samsung says that, apparently, Circle to Search will be an exclusive to the Google Pixel 8 series and Galaxy S24 series for almost the entirety of 2024. Specifically, Samsung says it “may” expand to other Android devices “from October 5.” The company also claims there are “no active developments underway.”

Circle to Search will be available on the Google Pixel 8 series and Samsung Galaxy S24 series from January 2024. Circle to Search may become available on Android devices from other brands from October 5, 2024, but there are no active developments underway.

Personally, I’d argue it’s highly unlikely that there are “no active developments underway,” but the timeline here is at least plausible. Early October would put this feature’s expansion around the same time as Google’s Pixel 9 launch. It seems unlikely, though, that Samsung would launch its next foldables in August without Circle to Search enabled. The same logic applies to the Pixel 8a, likely coming far sooner.

To be fair, most of the functionality of Circle to Search already exists on all Android devices. As our Jordan Floyd discussed in a recent video, it’s not all that difficult to replicate most of the features here through Google Lens. But the speed and convenience of Circle to Search is what makes it so useful, so it’s a shame it might take so long to come to other devices.