Google's Pixel Screenshots App to Enhance Circle-to-Search with AI Integration

The recent unveiling of the Pixel 9 series, along with the Pixel Watch 3 and Pixel Buds Pro 2, highlighted Google's latest innovations during its annual Made by Google event. In addition to the impressive hardware, the company introduced a trio of new applications for its Pixel smartphones. One standout application is the Pixel Screenshots, which leverages artificial intelligence to retrieve information from saved screenshots. Reports have emerged indicating that Google might integrate this app with its Circle-to-Search functionality.

A report from Android Authority reveals that this new integration was detected within the beta version of the Google app (15.32.37.29.arm64) during an APK teardown analysis. The findings suggest that a Save option has been added in the latest iteration of Circle-to-Search, accessible after selecting any item on the screen.

When users select this option, a pop-up window appears, stating “Remember What You Find. Save to Screenshots.” This floating prompt explains that by clicking on Continue, the selected content can be stored in screenshots. If a user opts to save the screenshot, the interface of the Pixel Screenshots app is displayed, illustrating the date and time the screenshot was taken, along with an option to initiate AI processing on it. By enabling this feature, the app will save the screenshot to its database, allowing users to search for information within the image later through a text query.

The report also mentions that if AI summaries, smart actions, and searches are activated for the screenshot, an alert box will notify users. While it is possible to capture and save screenshots in the usual manner, incorporating this capability into Circle-to-Search may streamline the process by reducing the number of steps required. However, it is important to remember that this integrated feature has not been officially confirmed by Google. Its existence in the beta app does not guarantee that it will become a widely available feature, and we will only know for certain if Google decides to launch it publicly.