GoKawiilRyan Haines / Android Authority
While Google’s Circle to Search is a handy tool in theory, I find that in practice, the results vary significantly. Sometimes the answers it gives me are spot-on, and other times, they are wildly inconsistent. As a result, Circle to Search has become one of those tools I don’t actually use that much despite all its advertised benefits. That is, with the exception of one very handy feature that I’m using it for more and more every day.
What do you use Circle to Search for? 4 votes Searching for products. 0 % Identifying items in images. 0 % Selecting and translating text. 75 % Something else (let us know in the comments). 0 % I don't use Circle to Search. 25 %
Circle to Search’s image recognition doesn’t always work for me
Megan Ellis / Android Authority
Circle to Search is generally good at identifying products that are available online, but when it comes to recognizing other items, my experience has been mixed. It’s possible that this is because I’m in a non-Western market, since LLM training data seems to skew towards the US, Europe, and other Western regions.
I’ve used the Circle to Search to try to identify plants, insects, phone models, and more. I’ve also just tested it to see if it can identify my cat’s breed. More often than not, it doesn’t produce the right results. It frequently misidentifies the plants in my garden, choosing species from different regions around the world.
When I tried to use it to help me identify a bug infesting one of my plants, it even gave a different answer every time. The first time around, it told me they were zombie ants — so I thought I was having a The Last of Us situation in my garden. The only way I found an answer was by asking my Android Authority colleagues and using a single picture on a local website to figure out that they were lantana bugs.
Circle to Search also thinks that my HONOR 400 Pro is an iPhone, something I realized after some readers accused me of using an Apple device in some of my photos. And when it comes to my cat, Circle to Search thinks that his unusual ears are a result of him being a Scottish Fold or another breed with folded ears. However, it’s due to a partial pinnectomy. You can tell he’s not a Scottish Fold or another one of these folded purebreds because of the shape of his face and eyes.
All in all, since Circle to Search’s accuracy isn’t great, I don’t find myself using it that much.
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