Circle to Search may have just inexplicably lost this feature

Circle to Search has evolved a lot since its debut in 2024. While it began simply as a tool to start a search for whatever is on your screen, Google has gradually made it more robust by adding features like QR code scanning, music identification, and more. One of the many features Google added to the tool in its earlier days has now gone missing for some users.

Circle to Search’s “Share” feature has been around for a while. It was first spotted in development in April 2024, only for Google to roll out the Share button in August that same year. Just as it sounds, Circle to Search’s Share option allows you to quickly send whatever you circled to your friends and family. While it may sound the same as taking a screenshot and sharing, it differs slightly in that the image you circled isn’t saved to your device like a normal screenshot is.

According to a report on Reddit, this Share option has suddenly disappeared. Based on the replies, it appears that a large number of users are also missing the option. We can also confirm that the option is no longer there on some of our devices.

As you can see in the left image above, there is a Share button near the top of the screen. However, in the image on the right, there are only “Create” and “Select Text” options. The Reddit user who pointed out the change says that they were on beta version 17.3.60.sa.arm64 of the Google app when Share disappeared. However, the Share button returned when they reset the app to factory defaults.

At the moment, it’s unclear if this is a bug or an intentional change. We have reached out to Google for an answer, and we’ll update this article if we hear back.