Google's Circle to Search Gets Smarter with a New "Scroll and Translate" Feature

Google is giving its Circle to Search a major upgrade with a new feature called Scroll and Translate. The tool brings live, on-screen translations to Android, starting with Pixel devices. 

Spotted by folks over at Android Authority, the new capability allows users to translate text on screen in real time. The feature has started rolling out to beta testers on Pixel devices and works differently from the current translation feature, which only works on static text.

With Scroll and Translate, Circle to Search can handle dynamic content such as scrolling webpages, social media feeds, GIFs and even videos. Users can simply tap the Translate icon in Circle to Search and choose the new option to see the translated text appear on an overlay. 

These translations are applied across the entire screen and its contents at once. Currently, there's no option to crop or highlight specific sections. Early testers have also noted a brief processing delay. Additionally, the overlay is also said to be visually distracting. However, the functionality undoubtedly marks a big step towards seamless multilingual browsing. 

Reports suggest that the Scroll and Translate feature on Circle to Search could get more refinements, like a cropping tool, draggable overlays, as well as an animated interface. The naming of the feature also remains widely inconsistent right now. The feature is reportedly referred to as both "Live Translate" as well as "Scroll and Translate" in the app codes. 

At the time of writing, Scroll and Translate reportedly remains limited to Pixel users enrolled in the Google app beta. There's no word yet on when the feature will reach non-Pixel devices or make its way to a stable release. It's still a great way to take advantage of Circle to Search and hints at Google's efforts in building AI-powered and context-aware tools into Android.