Technologies

Circle to Search Is One of My Favorite AI Tools. Shame It’s Not on the iPhone Yet

Commentary: While a lot of mobile AI tools feel frivolous, this Google Search capability is intuitive. I just wish it weren’t restricted to Android phones.

Every time I use an iPhone, I lament that it doesn’t have one of the most practical mobile AI tools: Google’s Circle to Search. Until that feature comes to the iPhone — and I really hope it does soon — I don’t think most people will realize just how useful it can be.

Circle to Search is a way to quickly pull up information about anything on your Android phone’s screen. Just long-press the home button and then circle, scribble or tap whatever you want to look up. If you’re scrolling through Instagram and see a vacation spot you’d like to identify, a pair of shoes you want to buy or a word you want to look up, just draw around it and Google will pull up a list of relevant Search results.

You can even use your phone’s camera to point at something, then use Circle to Search to find out more. And a new capability that debuted on Thursday continuously translates text as you scroll through social media posts or switch between apps.

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Apple’s Visual Intelligence feature has some similarities to Circle to Search; it uses Apple Intelligence to identify what’s around you and whatever you snap a picture of. A new functionality arriving with iOS 26 will allow the tool to work with screenshots, so you can ask ChatGPT about what’s on your screen, add an event to your calendar or search for a product. But those capabilities are still relatively limited compared with Circle to Search. Plus, Visual Intelligence is available only on iPhone 15 Pro models or later, while Circle to Search is on a much broader range of Android phones.

I’ve used Circle to Search for a variety of tasks, from figuring out where to buy tea sets to identifying a song to looking up the breed of cute cats. (Clearly, the use cases are diverse.) It’s a seamless way of finding relevant links and information about anything that piques your curiosity, without struggling to describe it in a traditional Google search — especially when you don’t know the name of what you’re searching.

But if you do prefer to add words to your query, you can still do that with Circle to Search. Once the results pop up at the bottom of your screen, you can type in the Search bar to get more specific answers and information.

Circle to Search debuted in January 2024 on the Samsung Galaxy S24 series and the Pixel 8 lineup, and it’s now available on the latest Pixel devices as well as on Galaxy S, Z and A phones — meaning it’s not just confined to the priciest devices.

When will Circle to Search come to iPhones?

I’m glad more phones are getting Circle to Search and that it’s become somewhat standard on a handful of premium and more affordable Android phones (and I hope it lands on more). But I’m eagerly awaiting the day this feature arrives on the iPhone. I’m not holding my breath for Apple to announce the arrival of this capability at its iPhone 17 event on Tuesday, but I suppose anything’s possible.

Google hasn’t said anything about bringing Circle to Search to Apple devices, though you can carry out a similar function on iPhones using Google Lens in the Google app and on Chrome. But that’s simply not good enough for me. Circle to Search has been out for nearly two years, and it’s about time it made its iPhone debut in full force.

It’s a contentious time for tech companies like Google, Samsung and Apple, which are racing to crank out the most advanced AI-powered features. So while other Google apps and features like Lens, Drive and Calendar have made their way onto the iPhone, this is a whole different ball game.

But if reports about Apple potentially supercharging Siri with Google’s Gemini are any indication, there’s a high chance the two companies can agree that Circle to Search is a feature that also belongs on iPhones. And once it arrives, you’ll likely wonder how you ever lived without it.

Until then, I’ll just keep wishing I had an Android phone in my hand each time I scroll past a particularly tantalizing teapot on Instagram.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Strands Hints, Answers and Help for Oct. 23 #599

Here are hints and answers for the NYT Strands puzzle for Oct. 23, No. 599.

Looking for the most recent Strands answer? Click here for our daily Strands hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Today’s NYT Strands puzzle might be Halloween-themed, as the answers are all rather dangerous. Some of them are a bit tough to unscramble, so if you need hints and answers, read on.

I go into depth about the rules for Strands in this story.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections and Mini Crossword answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: NYT Connections Turns 1: These Are the 5 Toughest Puzzles So Far

Hint for today’s Strands puzzle

Today’s Strands theme is: Please don’t eat me!

If that doesn’t help you, here’s a clue: Remember Mr. Yuk?

Clue words to unlock in-game hints

Your goal is to find hidden words that fit the puzzle’s theme. If you’re stuck, find any words you can. Every time you find three words of four letters or more, Strands will reveal one of the theme words. These are the words I used to get those hints but any words of four or more letters that you find will work:

POND, NOON, NODE, BALE, SOCK, LOVE, LOCK, MOCK, LEER, REEL, GLOVE, DAIS, LEAN, LEAD, REEL

Answers for today’s Strands puzzle

These are the answers that tie into the theme. The goal of the puzzle is to find them all, including the spangram, a theme word that reaches from one side of the puzzle to the other. When you have all of them (I originally thought there were always eight but learned that the number can vary), every letter on the board will be used. Here are the nonspangram answers:

AZALEA, HEMLOCK, FOXGLOVE, OLEANDER, BELLADONNA

Today’s Strands spangram

Today’s Strands spangram is POISONOUS. To find it, look for the P that is the first letter on the far left of the top row, and wind down and across.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for Oct. 23, #395

Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for Oct. 23, No. 395.

Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.

Today’s Connections: Sports Edition has one of those crazy purple categories, where you wonder if anyone saw the connection, or if people just put that grouping together because only those four words were left. If you’re struggling but still want to solve it, read on for hints and the answers.

Connections: Sports Edition is published by The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by The Times. It doesn’t show up in the NYT Games app but appears in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can play it for free online.

Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta

Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Fan noise.

Green group hint: Strategies for hoops.

Blue group hint: Minor league.

Purple group hint: Look for a connection to hoops.

Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Yellow group: Sounds from the crowd.

Green group: Basketball offenses.

Blue group: Triple-A baseball teams.

Purple group: Ends with a basketball stat.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is sounds from the crowd. The four answers are boo, cheer, clap and whistle.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is basketball offenses. The four answers are motion, pick and roll, Princeton and triangle.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is triple-A baseball teams. The four answers are Aces, Jumbo Shrimp, Sounds and Storm Chasers.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is ends with a basketball stat. The four answers are afoul, bassist, counterpoint and sunblock.

Technologies

Amazon’s Delivery Drivers Will Soon Wear AI Smart Glasses to Work

The goal is to streamline the delivery process while keeping drivers safe.

Amazon announced on Wednesday that it is developing new AI-powered smart glasses to simplify the delivery experience for its drivers. CNET smart glasses expert Scott Stein mentioned this wearable rollout last month, and now the plan is in its final testing stages.

The goal is to simplify package delivery by reducing the need for drivers to look at their phones, the label on the package they’re delivering and their surroundings to find the correct address.

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A heads-up display will activate as soon as the driver parks, pointing out potential hazards and tasks that must be completed. From there, drivers can locate and scan packages, follow turn-by-turn directions and snap a photograph to prove delivery completion without needing to take out their phone.

The company is testing the glasses in select North American markets.

Watch: See our Instagram post with a video showing the glasses

A representative for Amazon didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

To fight battery drain, the glasses pair with a controller attached to the employee’s delivery vest, allowing them to replace depleted batteries and access operational controls. The glasses will support an employee’s eyeglass prescription. An emergency button will be within reach to ensure the driver’s safety.

Amazon is already planning future versions of the glasses, which will feature «real-time defect detection,» notifying the driver if a package was delivered to the incorrect address. They plan to add features to the glasses to detect if pets are in the yard and adjust to low light.