Missing Circle to Search on your work phone? Here's why

Circle to Search is one of the best Android features that Google has made in years because it makes searching so much easier. All you have to do is press and hold the home button or navigation handle, then tap, scribble, or circle the part of the screen you want to Google search. It’s a simple yet incredibly nifty tool that’s only getting more and more useful with each update, but it’s sadly not available yet on all devices. Although it’s expanding to more and more, Circle to Search will soon be blocked on some Android phones, as Google has given IT admins the option to disable the feature.

Google debuted Circle to Search at the Samsung Galaxy S24 launch event earlier this year. Although it’s currently exclusive to select devices from Google and Samsung, it uses standard APIs that are available to all digital assistant apps on Android. The way it works is simple: When you invoke Circle to Search, the Google App uses Android’s Assist API to take a screenshot. It then scans the screenshot for text and images and makes those items selectable so you can copy, share, or search them up on Google.

A demo of Circle to Search. Credits: Google.

Because Circle to Search uses Android’s standard Assist API to take screenshots, it’s already unable to handle secure windows, like login screens in many apps. However, the mere fact that it takes a screenshot in the first place is enough to spook some IT admins, who may want to block employees from taking screenshots entirely to mitigate the risk of them accidentally (or purposely) leaking sensitive data. That’s why Google has decided to provide a way for IT admins to block Circle to Search from being able to take a screenshot, effectively disabling the feature entirely.

Google recently updated the Android Management API — which is used by many enterprise mobility management (EMM) software solutions to control usage policies on work phones — to add a new AssistContentPolicy. AssistContentPolicy “controls whether AssistContent is allowed to be sent to a privileged app such as an assistant app.” AssistContent notably “includes screenshots and information about an app, such as a package name.” By default, assist content is allowed to be sent to a privileged app, but IT admins can update the policy to disallow this.

Because AssistContentPolicy is only available on devices running Android 15 or above, most work phones that currently support Circle to Search can’t be blocked from using it. However, once Google and Samsung start pushing updates to Android 15, IT admins will be able to block work phones from using the feature. If Circle to Search suddenly stops functioning on your work phone after updating to Android 15, now you know why.