Tag: search

Select iPhones can imitate Google’s handy Circle to Search tool with new shortcut

Post author By lisa nichols
Post date May 8, 2024
No Comments on Select iPhones can imitate Google’s handy Circle to Search tool with new shortcut

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A select handful of Pixel and Galaxy smartphones have the exclusive Circle to Search feature. By holding down the home button on one of the models, an overlay will appear “that lets you circle… objects” on screen to identify them through Google Search. We’ve wondered if and when Google plans on widely rolling out Circle to Search to more smartphones. Funnily enough, a similar feature has recently been released, but it’s on iPhone.

It’s called Search Your Screenshot and was created by a group of developers who work on the Google Search app for iOS. Minsang Choi, who is a design manager for Google Lens, states it adds a visual search function to the action button on an iPhone 15 Pro. Pressing the button takes a screenshot of whatever’s on the display and the software proceeds to run a Google Lens scan. After it’s done, search results appear from buttons complete with images, forum posts, and shopping links to the object it detects. Choi says, “It’s basically Circle to Search but faster”.

Screen Your Screenshot on iPhone — (Image credit: Google/Minsang Choi)

He has since deleted his post on X (the platform formerly known as Twitter) where he initially shared information about the shortcut. We do have the images he posted. They show a settings menu of presumably Choi configuring Search Your Screenshot on an iPhone. The second picture shows the shortcut appearing on the action button’s unique interface with the third image displaying results for a Teenage Engineering computer case.

If you want to see it in action, 9To5Google, as part of its coverage, made a YouTube video demonstrating Search Your Screenshot. Choi says you can try out the tool by installing the Google Search app on your iPhone or downloading the shortcut from iCloud.

How to enable on older iPhones

Going back to 9To5Google’s report, they made an interesting discovery. Search Your Screenshot is not exclusive to the iPhone 15 Pro because it works on older models that support the Back Tap gesture. This means devices as old as the iPhone 8 can run the feature. However, setting it up on an older model requires more work.

Apple has instructions teaching people how to connect shortcuts to Back Tap. It involves going into the Settings menu, choosing the gesture you want to use (a Double Tap or Triple Tap), and then applying Search Your Screenshot. According to the publication, be sure to select “Always Allow” when you first use the tool to enable Google Lens uploads.

After reading through everything, we couldn’t help but wonder about other Android phones. This function isn’t available on Google Search for Android which is strange. Although it may not be the same as Circle to Search, Search Your Screenshot is still a useful tool. So we contacted the tech giant asking if there are plans for further expansion. We’ll let you know if we hear back.

Til then, check out TechRadar’s list of the best iPhones for 2024.

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Tags Circle, Googles, handy, imitate, iPhones, search, select, shortcut, tool

Bisnis Industri

Google paid Apple whopping $20 billion to remain iPhone’s default search engine in 2022

Post author By miranda cosgrove
Post date May 2, 2024
No Comments on Google paid Apple whopping $20 billion to remain iPhone’s default search engine in 2022

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Google search on iPhone — Google is paying Apple a lot to be Safari’s default search engine.
*Photo: Rajesh Pandey/Cult of Mac*

Google paid Apple $20 billion for Google to remain the default search engine across all Apple devices. This figure came to light through court documents submitted in the US Justice Department’s lawsuit against Google.

During the course of the hearing, Google and Apple tried their best not to reveal the amount publicly.

Apple prefers Google because it is the best

An October 2023 report also estimated Apple receiving $18-$20 billion from Google in 2022. This time around, the documents reveal the exact figure of $20 billion, coming directly from Apple’s SVP of services, Eddy Cue.

The Bloomberg report details that during last fall’s trial, Apple said Google paid them “billions” to be the default search engine. A Google witness later accidentally testified that the company pays Apple 36% of the revenue from search ads.

While it is vital for Google to remain the default search engine on iPhone and Mac, the money also plays a big role in Apple’s bottom line. As per the document, Google’s payment accounted for 17.5% of Apple’s revenue.

However, as Eddy Cue testified during the hearing, Apple prefers Google not because of the billions of dollars it receives but because it is “the best.”

During the trial last year, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella revealed that it was offering Apple multiple concessions to move away from Google. These include sharing 90% of the advertising revenue and hiding the Bing logo in Safari on iPhone. The switch would have been “game changing,” which is why Microsoft was willing to make these concessions.

Google’s deal with Apple could put it into trouble

Given the iPhone’s popularity in the US, it’s crucial for Google to remain the default search engine on the devices. This also explains why Google paid Apple more than $1.5 billion monthly in 2022. But this move will now probably get the company into trouble.

If the US Justice Department wins its lawsuit against Google’s alleged monopoly in search and advertising, the latter might have to cancel its deal with Apple.

Google and the Justice Department will submit their closing arguments on Thursday and Friday. The court’s final decision will arrive later this year.

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Tags Apple, Billion, default, engine, Google, iPhones, Paid, remain, search, whopping

News

Google Paid Apple $20 Billion in 2022 to Be Default Safari Search Engine

Post author By miranda cosgrove
Post date May 2, 2024
No Comments on Google Paid Apple $20 Billion in 2022 to Be Default Safari Search Engine

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Google paid Apple $20 billion in 2022 to be the default search engine for Safari on iPhone, iPad, and Mac, reports Bloomberg. The information was revealed in court documents Google provided in its antitrust dispute with the United States Department of Justice.

The DoJ has accused Google of having a monopoly on search, and in the lawsuit against Google, the search engine deal with Apple has been a major focus. In November, lawsuit documents indicated that Google was paying 36 percent of the total revenue that it earns from searches conducted on Safari, and now it turns out that equates to $20 billion.

Google has been the default search engine on Apple devices since 2002, though the deal has been renegotiated several times. Apple and Google have worked to keep the terms of the search engine agreement under wraps during the trial and before, but it has been well known that Google is paying Apple billions per year.

Last October, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella testified that the agreement between Apple and Google has made it impossible for search engines like Bing to compete. Microsoft at one point wanted Apple to buy Bing, but Apple was not interested. Microsoft blamed Google, but Apple’s Eddy Cue said that Aplple was concerned that Bing could not compete in “quality and capabilities.” Cue claimed that Apple uses Google as the ‌iPhone‌’s default search engine because Apple has “always thought it was the best.”

Google is the default search engine on Apple devices in most countries, but users can opt to swap to Yahoo, Bing, DuckDuckGo, and Ecosia as alternatives. Changing browser engines requires opening up the Safari settings.

In Europe, the Digital Markets Act has required Apple to make changes to how browsers work. Users are able to choose a default browser when setting up their ‌iPhone‌, and there are more options than the handful of providers that Apple allows in the United States.

If Google loses the antitrust lawsuit against it, the deal between Apple and Google could be dissolved. Closing arguments are expected on Thursday and Friday, with the judge’s ruling set to come later in 2024.

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Tags Apple, Billion, default, engine, Google, Paid, Safari, search

Featured

Safari tipped to get AI-powered Intelligent Search in iOS 18 and macOS 15

Post author By lisa nichols
Post date May 1, 2024
No Comments on Safari tipped to get AI-powered Intelligent Search in iOS 18 and macOS 15

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Big things could be coming to Apple’s Safari web browser, as a new report claims it’s in line for a serious overhaul that could transform it into the best web browser around.

It’s just the latest in a long list of other Apple apps expected to see new artificial intelligence (AI) features in iOS 18 and macOS 15, both of which are expected to debut this summer at WWDC 2024.

According to AppleInsider, Safari is going to be revamped in several key ways. That includes changes to the user interface, “advanced content blocking features,” plus a new tool called Intelligent Search that uses AI to level up your browsing experience.

The latter feature looks to be a headline grabber. It appears to use Apple’s in-house on-device AI – dubbed Ajax – to find key topics on a web page and condense them down into a handy readable summary. That could be a nifty tool for quickly getting the gist of a page when you’re in a hurry.

Elsewhere, there’s apparently a new feature called Web Eraser that lets you select specific parts of a web page and easily remove them. For instance, you might want to erase a banner ad or an image without breaking the rest of the page. Safari will remember your changes and keep them in place when you next visit the page, although there could be an option to revert them if you want.

A total AI overhaul

WWDC 2021 Safari for Mac preview.

(Image credit: Apple)

There’s one more piece to the puzzle: AppleInsider believes that Apple will consolidate a bunch of settings from different Safari menus and group them together behind a single button in the app’s address bar. This could include the new AI and Web Eraser tools, as well as options for controlling zoom levels, privacy settings, extension shortcuts and more.

These changes are all expected to debut in Safari 18, which will come to iOS 18 and macOS 15 and should make an appearance later in the year. They could be one of many AI-inspired alterations coming to Apple’s apps this June, with WWDC set to be packed full of AI announcements and new software features.

Beyond this summer, AppleInsider says that Apple is working on another AI-enhanced feature called Visual Search that would let you look up consumer products in images. Like the existing Visual Lookup feature, it might be implemented system-wide, which could see it loaded into Safari, the Photos app, and more. However, it’s not expected to launch until 2025.

This year, though, could be a massive one for Apple’s apps and software. On the iPhone, iOS 18 is expected to be one of the largest overhauls in the operating system’s history, and macOS 15 might not be far behind. We’ve rounded up everything you need to know about what’s coming to WWDC 2024, and with the show just a few weeks away, there’s a lot to look forward to.

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Tags AIpowered, intelligent, iOS, macOS, Safari, search, tipped

Featured

Fed up with Windows 10 search being slow, wonky, or crashing? Microsoft’s fixed search with its latest update

Post author By lisa nichols
Post date April 27, 2024
No Comments on Fed up with Windows 10 search being slow, wonky, or crashing? Microsoft’s fixed search with its latest update

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Windows 10 has received a new optional update and it comes with some much-needed fixing to cure problems some users have been experiencing with the search function in the OS.

Windows Latest noticed that in the latest preview update just released for Windows 10 (KB5036979), there’s been some work to improve the search functionality.

Microsoft tells us that: “This update makes some changes to Windows Search. It is now more reliable, and it is easier to find an app after you install it. This update also gives you a personalized app search experience.”

As Windows Latest describes, for some Windows 10 users, search has become a somewhat hit or miss affair particularly around trying to quickly fire up an app. Such as, for example, searching for the ‘Recycle Bin’ and not getting the icon for that returned, but other functions instead.

On social media, there have been a number of reports about wonky search experiences, too, such as this one on Reddit where Windows 10 refused to find a commonly-used app.

In more extreme cases, search is locking up and crashing, which is the pinnacle of irritation for this part of the UI.

Analysis: Wait a little longer

Hopefully, this kind of behavior should be a thing of the past when this update is applied. However, note that this is just an optional update at this point, so it’s officially still in testing – meaning there’s a slight chance the fix may not be fully working. Or that the KB5036979 update might cause unwelcome side-effects elsewhere in Windows 10 (it wouldn’t be the first time, certainly).

The safest bet is to wait it out, let early adopters test this preview update, and install the finished cumulative update when it arrives in May (on Patch Tuesday, which will be May 14).

At least we know this piece of smoothing over is now incoming, so those who’ve been frustrated with iffy search results now know that – with any luck – their woes should soon be over. Or at least, they’ll face spanners in the search works with less regularity.

Elsewhere with this update, Microsoft has also improved the reliability of widgets on the lock screen, with a more “customized experience” and more visuals available, so these should be better all-round, too.

The downside with KB5036979? That’s a new initiative to introduce notifications about your Microsoft Account in the Start menu and Settings app, which will doubtless consist of various prompts to sign up for an account, or to finish that process.

One UI 6.1: Instantly translate on-screen text using Circle to Search

Post author By miranda cosgrove
Post date April 22, 2024
No Comments on One UI 6.1: Instantly translate on-screen text using Circle to Search

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Circle to Search is one of the most talked about AI features available on One UI 6.1, the version of One UI that introduced the Galaxy AI experience to Galaxy smartphones and tablets.

With Circle to Search, you can circle or highlight any images or text you see on their screen to instantly search for them on Google, without leaving the current app you’re using. Circle to Search replaces Google Assistant as the default way of asking Google to look things up for you on the internet from any app or screen on the device and can be accessed by long pressing the home button.

The Galaxy S24, S24+, and S24 Ultra were the first Samsung devices to come preloaded with Circle to Search, and Samsung later made it available for older Galaxy flagships through the One UI 6.1 update. Circle to Search also received an interesting new feature that some may find more useful than the search functionality: instant language translation.

How to instantly translate on-screen text using Circle to Search

Whether you’re reading text on a website in your phone’s browser or viewing a PDF file, Circle to Search can instantly translate that text to different languages with a press of a button.

It’s a simple yet effective feature, and here’s how you can use it on a compatible Galaxy smartphone or tablet:

Step 1: Long press the home button to bring up Circle to Search when you come across text that you wish to translate.

Step 2: Tap the language translation button (highlighted in the screenshot below).

Step 3: Select the target language to which you want to translate the original text. The language of the original text will be auto detected by Google, but you can manually change the source language as well if the auto detection doesn’t work.

Step 4: As soon as you select the target language, Google will show you the translated text (we translated English to Dutch for the purpose of this guide, and the result can be seen in the screenshot below).

Once the on-screen text has been translated, you can tap any word in the translated text to instantly look it up on Google. You can also copy that word or any part of the text to the clipboard for pasting in other apps.

Not seeing the translate button? Your Google app may need updating

Circle to Search is part of the Google app that comes preloaded on all Android phones, and if you don’t see the language translation button when long pressing the home button to bring up Circle to Search, you may need to update the Google app on your device.

You can see all the app updates available for your device by opening the Play Store app, tapping your profile icon, and selecting Manage apps and device. Some new features can also require a server-side update, so you may have to wait a few days for the translate option to show up even after updating the Google app.

Which devices support Circle to Search?

Circle to Search is only available for Galaxy devices that have received the One UI 6.1 update with Galaxy AI. Those include all of Samsung’s flagship smartphones and tablets from 2023 and 2022, and you can check out the full list of devices that support Galaxy AI or will get Galaxy AI in the future here.

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Tags Circle, instantly, onscreen, search, text, Translate

Featured

Circle to Search could soon get new features on Google and Samsung phones

Post author By lisa nichols
Post date April 21, 2024
No Comments on Circle to Search could soon get new features on Google and Samsung phones

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We’ve been enjoying being able to play around with the AI-powered Circle to Search feature since it arrived – first on the Samsung Galaxy S24 and Google Pixel 8 phones – and it seems it could be getting some new capabilities in the near future.

According to well-known tipster @AssembleDebug (via PiunikaWeb), hidden snippets lurking in the Circle to Search code seem set to boost the feature with options for capturing parts of the screen and sharing them with other people.

Sections of the screen can be selected with a tap, a circle, or a scribble with Circle to Search, and you’re then able to tweak the area that’s been selected. As it stands now, you can then run a search based on the highlighted pictures or text.

What’s apparently coming soon are new Copy image and Share image buttons that’ll pop up whenever something is selected. It’s effectively a quick and easy way of capturing part of the screen, to go alongside the existing screenshot options on Android.

More AI to come

🔥 Circle to Search on Pixel will soon let you copy and share selected areas as images📝 Read – https://t.co/J0EOtc6Rgt#GooglePixel #Google #Android pic.twitter.com/CCUljuTq4qApril 20, 2024

As yet there’s no indication of when this might roll out to smartphones – and of course there’s always the option that Google software engineers will change their minds and decide not to add the extra Circle to Search capabilities after all.

However, considering that the source of this leak has been able to get the feature working – complete with new-look blue handles at the sides of selections, rather than white brackets – it can’t be too long before this feature gets introduced (if indeed it does).

Circle to Search and various other AI features have slowly been rolling out to older Pixel and Galaxy phones, after making their debut in the latest flagships. It’s not clear exactly what kind of hardware performance is required to get the tool to run smoothly.

We’re likely to get even more artificial intelligence tricks with the Google Pixel 9 and the Samsung Galaxy S25 over the next 12 months too – with more of the AI likely to be running locally on the devices themselves as they get more powerful.

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Tags Circle, features, Google, phones, Samsung, search

Featured

‘The party is over for developers looking for AI freebies’ — Google terminates Gemini API free access within months amidst rumors that it could charge for AI search queries

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It’s been rumored for a while now that Google is considering charging users for AI powered results, especially concerning the idea of a premium search option which leverages generative AI.

Whether that will happen remains to be seen, but Google is ending the era of free access to its Gemini API, signaling a new financial strategy within its AI development.

Developers previously enjoyed free access to lure them towards Google’s AI products and away from OpenAI’s, but that is set to change. OpenAI was first to market and has already monetized its APIs and LLM access. Now Google is planning to emulate this through its cloud and AI Studio services, and it seems the days of unfettered free access are numbered.

RIP PaLM API

In an email to developers, Google said it was shutting down access to its PaLM API (the pre-Gemini model which was used to build custom chatbots) to developers via AI Studio on August 15. This API was deprecated back in February.

The tech giant is hoping to convert free users into paying customers by promoting the stable Gemini 1.0 Pro. “We encourage testing prompts, tuning, inference, and other features with stable Gemini 1.0 Pro to avoid interruptions,” The email reads. “You can use the same API key you used for the PaLM API to access Gemini models through Google AI SDKs.”

Pricing for the paid plan begins at $7 for one million input tokens and rises to $21 for the same number of output tokens.

There is one exception to Google’s plans – PaLM and Gemini will remain accessible to customers paying for Vertex AI in Google Cloud. However, as HPCWire points out, “Regular developers on cheaper budgets typically use AI Studio as they cannot afford Vertex.”

One UI 6.1: Find Circle to Search overrated? Here’s how to disable it

Post author By miranda cosgrove
Post date April 12, 2024
No Comments on One UI 6.1: Find Circle to Search overrated? Here’s how to disable it

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As you may know by now, some of the AI features on the Galaxy S24 series are powered by Google. In fact, one of the features doesn’t even require a Samsung phone nor is it exclusive to Galaxy devices.

It’s called Circle to Search, which can be used to do Google searches on anything that is on your phone or tablet screen. As Google puts it, “Circle to Search can help you quickly identify items in a photo or video.”

Circle to Search is accessed by long-pressing the home button, and you draw a circle around the item, object, or text of interest so Google can look it up on the internet. Think of it as an advanced version of Google Images, the search engine that lets you find images on the World Wide Web.

However, to some, Circle to Search may feel unnecessary or overrated. While Circle to Search works great, not everyone is looking for something so advanced, and they are perfectly fine sticking to the old Google Assistant to search for things by typing or voicing their query.

Unfortunately, Samsung decided that the home button gesture to bring up Google Assistant is better suited to firing up Circle to Search. On devices that support Galaxy AI features on One UI 6.1, Google Assistant has to be accessed by swiping in from the bottom right or bottom left corner of the display.

How to disable Circle to Search on One UI 6.1

If you have been a long-time Google Assistant user, long-pressing the home button will likely be second nature to you, but doing so on One UI 6.1 will bring up Circle to Search, which you may find frustrating.

Well, while you can’t reassign the home button to Google Assistant, you can do the next best thing and save yourself from the frustration: disable the home button gesture/shortcut for Circle to Search.

Yes, Circle to Search can be disabled, and it takes just a couple of seconds. Follow the steps below to turn it off.

Open the Settings app on your phone or tablet.
Scroll down and tap Display.
Scroll down in the display menu and select Navigation bar.
Use the toggle to turn off Circle to Search.

Long-pressing the home button will no longer bring up Circle to Search. But remember: you still have to swipe in from the bottom right or bottom left corner of the display to access Google Assistant, as Google Assistant cannot be assigned to the home button anymore.

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Tags Circle, disable, Find, Heres, overrated, search

Featured

Google Search on Android might get a nifty Gemini switch and put AI at your fingertips

Post author By lisa nichols
Post date April 8, 2024
No Comments on Google Search on Android might get a nifty Gemini switch and put AI at your fingertips

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Gemini is lining up to become an even bigger part of the Android ecosystem as a toggle switch for the AI may soon appear on the official Google app. Evidence of this update was discovered in a recent beta by industry insider AssembleDebug who then shared his findings with news site Pianika Web.

The feature could appear as a toggle switch right above the search bar. Flipping the switch causes the standard Search interface to morph into the Gemini interface where you can enter a prompt, talk to the model, or upload an image. According to Android Authority, turning on the AI launches a window asking permission to make the switch, assuming you haven’t already.

If this sounds familiar, that’s because the Google app on iOS has had the same function since early February. Activating the feature on either operating system has Gemini replace Google Assistant as your go-to helper on the internet.

Gemini’s new role

You can hop between the two at any time. It’s not a permanent fixture or anything – at least not right now. Google has been making its AI more prominent on smartphones and its first-party platforms. Recently, hints emerged of Gemini possibly gaining a summarization tool as well as reply suggestions on Gmail.

It is possible to have the Gemini toggle switch appear on your Android phone. AssembleDebug published a step-by-step guide on TheSpAndroid, however, the process will take you a long time. First, you’ll need a rooted smartphone running at least Android 12 which is a complicated process in of itself. We have a guide explaining how to root your mobile device if you’re interested in checking that out. Then you’ll need the latest Google App beta from the Play Store, the GMS Flags app from GitHub, and Gemini on your device.

Even if you follow all of these instructions, there’s still a chance it may not work, so you’re probably better off waiting for the switch to officially roll out.

No word on when that’ll happen. Although we could see the feature make its official debut during next month’s Google I/O 2024 event. The tech giant is cooking up something big and we can’t wait to see what it is.

While you wait, check out TechRadar’s list of the best Android phones for 2024.

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Tags Android, fingertips, Gemini, Google, nifty, put, search, switch