One of the coolest Android features is coming to Perplexity — unofficially.
Perplexity CEO Announces Circle to Search-Style Feature
In a post on X (formerly Twitter) this week, Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas announced that a Circle to Search-style feature is coming to Perplexity on Android.
How it Works
In a short video demonstration, a user is chatting with Perplexity about the greatest tennis players of all time. When the user draws a circle around a bullet point about Roger Federer and verbally asks for "the net worth of this guy," Perplexity identifies the person, conducts an online search, and replies with an answer.
When is it Coming?
Srinivas didn’t say when exactly the feature would arrive, only saying that it’s "coming soon." When I checked, the feature wasn’t available in the app yet. I was able to use Google’s Circle to Search on the Perplexity app, but of course, that took me out of the app.
Comparison to Official Circle to Search
My test with Google was significantly faster than Perplexity’s demo, which took about 12 seconds from question to answer, but both arrived at the same information. While this is essentially the same function as the official Circle to Search (Srinivas did use the words "Circle to Search," but that term is trademarked by Google, so Perplexity will have to call it something else), that feature isn’t available on all Android phones (it’s not found on many older devices). This addition opens that technology to a much wider audience.
Advantages Over Other AI Tools
Even for devices that can access Google’s Circle to Search, this could potentially be useful. ZDNET’s Jack Wallen found that Perplexity gave better, more accurate responses than Gemini, solved problems better and followed up better, cited its sources better, and even functioned better as a search engine. In my own testing, I preferred Perplexity over Gemini as my default phone assistant.
Conclusion
If this feature works as well as Google’s version, it is another reason to consider using Perplexity.
FAQs
Q: When is the Circle to Search-style feature coming to Perplexity?
A: The CEO of Perplexity announced that the feature is "coming soon," but no specific date was given.
Q: How does the feature work?
A: The feature allows users to draw a circle around a bullet point and verbally ask a question. Perplexity then identifies the person, conducts an online search, and replies with an answer.
Q: Is this feature available on all Android devices?
A: No, the official Circle to Search feature is not available on all Android devices (it’s not found on many older devices). However, Perplexity’s version will be available on a wider range of devices.
