Apple finally introduced its point of view on Circle to search in iOS 26, fueled by the company’s new visual intelligence framework. The functionality allows users to take a screenshot, encourage any part of it and instantly execute a search, ask GPT or identify an object. It is fast and built directly in Apple Intelligence for all supported iPhone models.
Apple’s new visual intelligence in iOS 26 brings the search circle on screenshots with Ask GPT and image search integration
Visual Intelligence is the new generation framework of Apple which allows iPhones to understand what is happening on the screen, which includes the detection of text, objects and even images. With iOS 26, it is integrated directly into the screenshot interface to which you can access at a given time to search for different things.
Once you have captured a screenshot, you will see new buttons like Ask GPT, the search for images and others at the bottom. These tools analyze the part of the screenshot that you highlight or surround, which makes the process simple and concentrated for daily use.
The approach reflects the functionality of the Google circle to search for Android, but maintains the private and available experience. Apple Intelligence manages interpretation safely, and when you press ASK GPT, it puts the task to chat by a support protected by confidentiality.
What you should know
- The new visual intelligence system in iOS 26 provides a “search circle” style function with screenshots.
- You can use ASK GPT, image search or even Pinterest for visual research and answers.
- Works on iPhone models that support Apple Intelligence, including the iPhone 15 Pro and all new models.
How to use it
1. Take a screenshot by pressing Volume And Side button simultaneously.
2. Wait for the preview to appear in the lower left corner of the screen.
3. Press it to open the toolbar, where you will see options like Ask GPT And Image search in the lower corners.
4. Use your finger to circle or highlighting the specific part screenshot you want to search or analyze.
5. Choose an action, which could be the Ask GPT button on the left or Image search Option on the right.
6. Close or save the screenshot once you have finished.
This is all you have to do to use Circle to search on your iPhone running iOS 26. The process can be a little different from what Google does, but it mainly performs the same task. The best part is that it requires no third party application, which means that all processes are managed available by Apple Intelligence.
The integration of the third party application extends the functionality
If you have a compatible application installed like Pinterest, iOS 26 will automatically do so in the Visual Intelligence panel. For example, the installation of Pinterest adds its objective search option, which allows users to discover similar content from screenshot.
These integrations are part of the new visual research extensions of Apple, which allow developers to link their applications to Apple Intelligence. Users can activate or deactivate them in the Settings application, and if you deactivate them, the screenshot interface will be quite standard as before update.
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