Google Chrome for desktop is set to introduce a feature akin to the widely-used Circle to Search option available on mobile devices. This new functionality, driven by Google Lens, is expected to be integrated into the browser shortly.
As highlighted by 9to5Google, users on Chromebooks will access this feature via a Google Lens icon located in the URL bar of Chrome. However, for Windows 11 or macOS users, it may be less straightforward; access will involve navigating through the Chrome menu and selecting ‘Search with Google Lens.’
Once you’ve activated this function, you can select an area on any webpage that piques your interest (using a resizable selection box), whether it’s a particular aspect of an image or video.
Your search results will then appear promptly in a sidebar alongside your current tab, allowing for seamless browsing without disruption.
Evaluation: A Significant Improvement for Chrome
This update may seem minor at first glance — simply adding an icon or menu option — but it could substantially transform how users perform searches in Google Chrome.
If you’re viewing something intriguing in your browser and wish to learn more about it—perhaps noticing an unfamiliar car in the background of a video—you can pause playback and activate Search with Google Lens. After highlighting the vehicle quickly, you should have all the relevant information at your fingertips through quick search results (further details may also be pursued via options provided in the side panel).
This is certainly an intelligent addition from our perspective; however, it’s not quite ready just yet. Per reports from 9to5Google, although it has been under wraps during development for some time now, this feature is currently live within the recent Chrome 128 beta version (and also within beta versions for ChromeOS). Notably mentioned on the ‘what’s new’ section of Chrome’s page suggests that we can look forward to its public release soon.
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