The Circle to Search feature was a notable addition by Google last year, initially introduced with its Pixel lineup. This functionality allows users to draw a circle around any item on their phone’s screen, prompting Google’s AI to search and provide relevant information. Microsoft seems to have developed a comparable feature called Circle to Copilot, leveraging their Copilot AI technology.
Apart from sharing identical names, Circle to Copilot functions similarly to Google’s version. It enables users to draw a circle around any item they want to search, harnessing the power of the Copilot AI for quick results. Although the feature is still under development, you can test it out in the Edge browser on desktop, iPhone, and iPad.
Enabling Circle to Copilot on iPhone and iPad
As mentioned, the feature is currently exclusive to the Edge browser. To give it a try, download the Edge browser app on your iOS device and activate a specific setting. Here are the steps to follow.
- Open the Edge app and navigate to “
edge://flags” using the address bar. - This action will bring you to the experimental flags page. Search for “Edge image circle Copilot” in the search bar on this page.
- Select the box labeled “Default” and toggle it to “Enabled.”
- Close the Edge app and ensure it is not running in the background by removing it from your recent apps list.
- Reopen the Edge app to activate the Circle to Copilot feature.
Using Circle to Copilot in Edge
After enabling this feature, simply tap on the Copilot icon located in the bottom navigation bar. This action will capture a snapshot of the current page, allowing you to circle the item you wish to search for. Then, tap on the search button, which will direct you to Copilot for further information.
Displayed in the screenshot below, Circle to Copilot attaches the captured area you circled and inserts it automatically into the text box. From there, you can input your query and inquire with Copilot about it.
The process with Circle to Copilot appears to be more elaborate compared to Google’s implementation. This is due to the current utilization of the GPT-4V model for text extraction and web information retrieval, rather than Bing’s Visual Search.
Additionally, Circle to Copilot will introduce another feature called “Chat with image.” This feature allows you to tap the camera icon, capture an image, and inquire with Copilot about it. You can also conduct an image search on Bing or scan a QR code using Copilot.
The timeline for these features to reach the Android version of the Edge app remains uncertain. Currently, the feature’s functionality is less convenient than copying text and conducting a Google search. However, there is hope that a refined version will eventually be accessible beyond the Edge browser.
Notably, you can already designate Copilot as the default assistant on Android, suggesting the potential for it to entirely replace Google’s circle-to-search functionality in the future. What are your impressions of this new Circle to Copilot feature? Have you had the chance to test it, and do you believe it could compete with Google’s Circle to Search? Share your thoughts in the comments.
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