Circle to Search is available on Pixel phones right now, follow these steps

During Galaxy Unpacked, a new Circle to Search (CTS) feature was announced for the Galaxy S24 series. Google said it plans to bring the feature to the Pixel 8 series on January 31, 2024, but you can actually start using it today if you follow a few steps. And it works on older Pixel phones, too.

Circle to Search is a function that allows you to search for anything on your screen by circling, highlighting, tapping, or scribbling over the subject. All the user has to do is long press on the home button or gesture navigation handle, circle the text or image, and Google Lens will perform a search without you having to leave the app you’re on.

According to Mishaal Rahman, you don’t have to wait for the Circle to Search rollout to start using the function. Enabling the feature on the Pixel 8 series only takes a few steps. What’s more, you can apparently activate the feature on other Pixel phones. But since it’s meant to be an exclusive for the Pixel 8 series, there are some extra steps that need to be followed.

Rahman says you need two items you need to make Circle to Search work. One of those items is code to make it possible to long-press the home/gesture navigation handle and the other item is a version of the Google App that contains the activity that launches when you use Circle to Search — called “OmnientActivity.”

Activating the feature on the Pixel 8 series is a three-step process that goes as follows:

1. Check to see if your version of the Google app has “cts” in the version name. You can also sideload this version Rahman extracted from his S24 Ultra.
2. Once you have the right app version, you’ll need to run these commands:
   1. adb shell cmd device_config put launcher long_press_home_button_to_search true;adb shell cmd device_config put launcher long_press_home_button_to_search_mpr true;adb shell cmd device_config put launcher press_hold_nav_handle_to_search true;adb shell cmd device_config put launcher press_hold_nav_handle_to_search_mpr true;adb shell cmd device_config put launcher ENABLE_SETTINGS_OSE_CUSTOMIZATIONS true;adb shell cmd device_config put launcher ENABLE_LONG_PRESS_NAV_HANDLE true;adb shell cmd device_config put launcher ENABLE_LONG_PRESS_NAV_HANDLE_MPR true;adb shell cmd device_config put launcher INVOKE_OMNI_LPH true;adb shell cmd device_config put launcher INVOKE_OMNI_LPH_MPR true;adb shell cmd device_config set_sync_disabled_for_tests persistent
3. After you reboot your device, Circle to Search will be enabled.

For Pixel devices that aren’t the Pixel 8 series, it appears the Google app immediately shuts down the OmnientActivity. As a result, Rahman says you’ll need to root your phone and apply the Magisk Module. This will make the app think your phone is a Pixel 8 Pro.

Rahman also includes a way for you to revert your phone back to its previous state. You can do this by running the ADB command “adb shell cmd device_config set_sync_disabled_for_tests none.”

This is a lot of work just to use a single feature that will be out next week, especially if you’re trying to enable it on an older Pixel phone.  Not to mention that using a spoofing tool like Magish Module can cause some apps to crash. So we wouldn’t recommend this option unless you’re desperate to try Circle to Search before anyone else.