Google Pixel Tablet Enhances Accessibility with New Circle to Search Action Key in Android 15 Beta 3 Update

Google Pixel Tablet Gains Circle to Search Access via Action Key on Android 15 Beta 3: Report

Android 15 is expected to improve accessibility for Google's Circle to Search feature on devices with larger screens, like tablets. Initially available exclusively on the Samsung Galaxy S24 series in January, this visual lookup feature was eventually expanded to more Android devices. The newest Android 15 Beta 3, which was released on Tuesday, simplifies access to Circle to Search through the Action Key on the Google Pixel Tablet.

Pixel Tablet gets a new Circle to Search shortcut on Android 15

According to an Android Authority article, the latest Android 15 Beta 3 update introduces action key support for Circle to Search on the Google Pixel Tablet. Users can select between two different taskbar styles: transient and persistent, with the latter allowing access to Circle to Search.

Currently, users can use the Circle to Search function by pressing and holding the navigation pane. After the Android 15 Beta 3 update, a new pop-up window purportedly appears when swiping up on the persistent-style taskbar. A notification prompts users to touch and hold the action key to search the content displayed on the screen.

Action Key Support for Circle to Search

Alternatively, the report mentions that activating Circle to Search is also possible with the transient-style taskbar.

In addition to this feature, Google is reportedly working on enabling Circle to Search in split-screen mode. This feature was observed in the Pixel Launcher beta app following the Android 15 update.

Circle to Search New Features

Google's AI-powered visual lookup feature is expected to receive several enhancements, such as reading content aloud, which hints at potential text-to-speech capabilities. This was discovered during an APK teardown of the Google beta app v15.20.36.29.

Two additional features—Listen and Select All—might also be adopted from Google Lens and incorporated into Circle to Search. On Lens, the ‘Listen' function reads highlighted text aloud, while the ‘Select All' option highlights all visible text in the image or camera viewfinder.