How to Use Circle for Search, Live Translation and Other Samsung Galaxy AI Features
You may have seen the hype around Samsung’s suite of Galaxy AI software features, which were introduced in the Galaxy S24 in January 2024 and are now making their way to older devices – although some of these features date back to the Galaxy S21. Not all older phones support all features.
If you’re wondering what’s included and how all these features can help you on your phone, the guides below may help. There’s everything from advanced photo editing to live translation tools, all accessible through software built into your Galaxy phone. Just make sure you’re running OneUI 6.1 or later before looking for these features.
Circle to search
Circle to Search is a visual search tool powered by Google Lens . The ability to search using an image isn’t new, but this feature makes it easier and clearer than ever. Just circle something on the screen and the search will start – that’s it.
First, make sure the Search Circle feature is turned on via Display > Navigation Bar in Settings. Then, in any app, press and hold the Home button at the bottom of the screen to launch Circle to Search. If you navigate Android using gestures rather than buttons, press and hold the thin navigation stick (which is a little harder to press accurately).
The screen will take on a subtle color tint and you can draw around whatever you want to find, be it a line of text or an image. The results appear at the bottom of the screen and you can change your search if necessary.
Generative Edit
Generative Editing is the name of the generative photo editing tools you’ll find when you open the Gallery app on your Samsung phone: To make sure it’s enabled and to see an explanation of how it works, go to Settings and select More Features ” > Advanced Intelligence > Photo Editor .
In the Gallery app, tap the image, then the edit icon (the pen symbol), and you can see some AI editing suggestions overlaid on top of the image—just tap to apply. You can also click on the blue and white generative AI button with a pair of stars (on the left): circle or tap the object you want to manipulate, this could be anything from a person to a flower pot. The AI will try to select it, so this works best for objects that stand out from the background. Then click on the selection to work with it.
You can use the eraser button above the selection to completely remove it from the image, or drag the item to another location in the photo. Using the magic of artificial intelligence, the app will then try to fill in the space left by the subject, using clues from the rest of the image about what the background should look like.
Chat assistant
Chat Assist works across multiple apps when the Samsung keyboard appears, helping you use AI to change the tone of your messages and even translating them into other languages if needed. From Settings, go to Advanced Features > Advanced Intelligence > Samsung Keyboard to enable this feature.
Then open the app that runs Chat Assist, such as Messages or Gmail. Once you’ve typed your text, click the AI button – the one with the pair of stars on the far left of the toolbar above the keyboard. You’ll see options for writing style, spelling and grammar, and (if applicable) chat translation.
These parameters are quite obvious. For example, select “Writing Style” and you’ll get several AI-generated variations of the text you typed: Click the “Show All” button (top right) to select the desired tone of your writing (available options include Professional , Casual , and Polite ) .
Live translator and translator
Another way Samsung Galaxy AI can help is by translating between languages, either over the phone or through an app. From Settings, choose More Features > Advanced Intelligence , then tap Phone or Translator to enable and customize features as needed.
You can launch Live Translate on a phone call by tapping “Call Assist” and then “Live Translate” on the call screen – the app will use the languages configured in Settings. During a call, you will see a text translation on the screen and also hear a spoken translation, so you will have to slow down the pace of the conversation for it to work.
Translator is similar, but it is designed for when you are face to face with someone else. Swipe down with two fingers from the top of the screen to access Quick Settings, then tap Translator (you may have to swipe left or right to see the icon). Use the microphone icons on the screen when you or another person wants to talk, as well as the drop-down menus to select the correct languages.
Other Galaxy AI Features
These are the most important features of Galaxy AI, but there are others – again, all of these can be configured via Advanced Features > Advanced Intelligence in Settings. For example, Samsung Notes has a Note Assist button above the keyboard that instantly summarizes or formats a note.
Meanwhile, in the Voice Recorder app, when you select a recording, a Transcript Assist feature appears, which allows you to turn speech into text in several languages. In Samsung’s Internet browser, look for the small Browsing Help button (star icon on the bottom toolbar) that summarizes web pages.
Finally, there are AI-generated wallpapers that you can use if you need to change your home screen background and don’t want to search for an image. Touch and hold an empty area of the Home screen, then choose Wallpaper & Style > Change Wallpaper > Generator and follow the onscreen instructions.