Files by Google, the company’s file browsing and management app, is reportedly getting new artificial intelligence (AI) features. According to a report, a version of the Circle to Search feature is being tested on the app. This feature will reportedly only be available for images. The Files app is also reportedly getting an AI summarization feature that works on files containing text. Interestingly, an earlier report claimed that Google Chrome for desktop may also get a visual lookup feature via Google Lens.
Google files with circle to search
According to a report According to 9to5Google, the Files by Google app is getting a number of new AI features. The first of these is Circle to Search, which was reportedly spotted during an APK teardown of the latest beta version of the app. However, unlike the Pixel smartphones and Samsung Galaxy S24 series, this appears to be a stripped-down version of Circle to Search.
Files by Google Circle to Search Function
Photo credit: 9to5Google
The feature is said to be available only on images when viewed in the app. When you open an image in full screen view, a new floating action button (FAB) will reportedly appear at the bottom. According to a screenshot shared by the publication, the icon is placed right above the editing FAB. This icon controls the feature.
There are said to be two different icons used for Circle to Search. The first is a magnifying glass with a sparkle on it, which is also used for smart search in the app. The second is the classic Google Lens icon. Since Circle to Search doesn’t have official icons, it seems that the company is still experimenting with the icons.
Tapping the icon will reportedly open the entire window in Circle to Search mode, with other elements of Files’ UI disappearing. The user can then circle a portion of the image to instantly launch a web search, the report says. This feature has yet to roll out to beta users.
The report also highlighted a second AI feature that’s now rolling out to some beta users. The Files by Google app will reportedly be able to generate AI summaries for file formats like PDF, Docx, TXT and more when they contain text. The publication claims that the feature will use the Gemini Nano on the device to do this, which could indicate that it could be a Pixel 8 series exclusive feature.
