Google is boosting its popular Circle to Search feature by letting it look beyond what is simply visible on your display. A recent update in the latest Google app beta (v17.18.24) reveals that the tool can now read your URLs and PDF files to pull the full context and provide deeper, AI-driven search results.
Google’s Circle to Search can now read your PDFs and URLs
Previously, Circle to Search relied primarily on the content visible in a screenshot of your current screen. While convenient, this limited the AI’s ability to understand the full scope of a document or a webpage. Google is now rebranding the “Search using your whole screen” option to a more conversational “Ask about screen.”
When you trigger this new version, the app automatically sends available metadata—including the page URL and the full content of PDFs—directly to Google (spotted by Android Authority). This allows Google’s AI Mode to generate much more relevant and comprehensive summaries rather than just identifying what is in a single image.
Seamless integration across apps
During Android Authority’s testing, this expanded functionality worked smoothly within Google Chrome and the Files by Google app. Because it can scan entire PDF documents, you no longer need to scroll through a long file to find specific information. The AI can now process the data and answer your questions directly through the search interface.
It’s noteworthy that users can already do similar tasks using the Gemini overlay. However, a new shortcut via Circle to Search makes it even more accessible. It’s useful when you want an instant quick answer instead of chatting with an AI.
Availability and rollout
The “Ask about screen” feature is currently making its way to users enrolled in the Google app beta program. If the testing phase goes as planned, Google should add these changes to the stable version of the app.
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