Google expands its Circle to Search capabilities on new Galaxy foldables
What you need to know
Google announced new updates coming to Circle to Search and Wear OS 5 at the Galaxy Unpacked event.
The latest Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Z Flip 6 users can "Ask about this video" for YouTube videos via Gemini AI.
New complex mathematical problems and barcode scanning are getting added to Circle to Search, starting with foldables.
Samsung has unleashed its new foldables right next to its latest Galaxy Watch 7 series and also a bunch of other products. Like most of its products, these new devices are Galaxy AI-powered and additionally feature the goodness of Google's AI. The search giant also participated in the event to showcase Circle to Search's new capabilities debuting with the Galaxy Z Fold 6.
Google executives like Rick Osterloh and Jenny Blackburn took the stage to demonstrate what Gemini AI can do alongside the Circle to Search feature on the latest foldables.
Users can either say "Hey, Google" or swipe from the corner of the screen to trigger the Gemini AI. For instance, imagine watching some random video on YouTube; they can seek the new "Ask about this video" suggestion.
Since the Galaxy Z Fold 6 supports a split screen view, users can watch the video on one side of the foldable screen and check the Gemini suggestion on the other side. This new feature will be available for foldable screen users in the coming months.
On the other hand, Circle to Search made its way to most Android phones early this year. It included translation capabilities and homework help for students. To help them become independent problem solvers, Circle to Search will be adding more complex topics like symbolic math, which, when asked, will give step-by-step problem-solving techniques instead of just projecting the answer.
Along with the new feature, Circle to Search will soon add features like the ability to scan barcodes and QR codes on your screens.
The premium Galaxy Z Fold 6 will further support multi-viewing for YouTube TV subscribers. It will allow users to view four different streams at the same time, like on Google TV. Users "can choose from pre-selected combinations of football, news, weather, and simultaneous sporting events," the company notes in the announcement blog post.
Samsung announced the Galaxy Watch 7 and Watch 7 Ultra at the Unpacked event. They will be the first smartwatches to ship with Google's latest Wear OS 5 operating system. In May, the search giant shared the new OS's performance gains and battery life improvements at Google I/O.
