Motorola free upgrade to add feature Samsung Galaxy owners have enjoyed for months

Motorola is producing some of its most interesting devices at the moment, making gains in folding phones with the Moto Razr 50 Ultra, as well offering some compelling mid-range devices like the Edge 50 Neo. And, there's a software update coming that's going to add new features, too.

Motorola shared details of the work it's doing with Google recently, outlining a range of Google AI features. If you're a follower of Android phones, this will be familiar to you, as Moto outlined the benefits of RCS messaging – now on the iPhone too – as well as Gemini Live on various devices.

Amongst these elements is a feature that Moto phones will benefit from soon, but that Samsung phones have had for months – and that's Circle to Search.

The feature isn't part of the core Android experience, it's managed by the Google app instead, as this is what powers the search features on the phones. But Circle to Search is also a highlight – it's a really usable way of searching your device, without the need to screenshot, copy and paste or anything else.

To use it you just long press on the bottom of the display, and a searching overlay appears. This will allow you to draw around something on your screen, at which point Google can search it. Thanks to Google's visual search powers that might be an image, while you can also circle text to select it or translate it, while search results appear at the bottom of the screen.

Interestingly, Circle to Search made its debut on the Samsung Galaxy S24 when it launched in January 2024, before it came to Google's own Pixel phones. Over the past few months it has slowly been rolling out, bringing its search magic to more devices.

Motorola has been enjoying a bumper year with its phones. The Moto Razr 50 and Razr 50 Ultra launched offering two options for those wanting a folding phone, while the Moto Edge family is packed with models too.

The Motorola Edge 50 Ultra leads the pack, but this phone is a sub-flagship. That means it’s a little more affordable than some of the top devices, but still offers a great experience. Further down the line, Motorola is offering the Edge 50 Fusion and the Edge 50 Neo, which gives impressive performance for the price.

The interesting thing about Motorola phones is that Moto isn't going over the top with adding its own software, so they present themselves as reasonable alternatives to Pixel devices. One of the highlights is the use of vegan leather covers across a range of models, so you're not just stuck with a plastic-backed phone.

There's no telling when this software update is going to land on Moto phones, but seeing as it's enabled by the Google Search app, it should just arrive in a quick software update.