Why Use This Circle To Search App?
The Problem with Google's CTS Version
Forced Cloud Syncing: Uploads your selection to servers even when you just want to copy text.
Get's accidentally triggerd frequently, exposing sensitive data instantly to google
Ecosystem Lock-in: Restricted to Google Search—no support for Bing, Yandex, or AI models.
Locked to Google ecosystem—no choice of search engine
Missing Features: Useful features like "Share" and "Save" have been stripped out.
Hardware Exclusivity: Only available on expensive flagship devices (Pixel 8, Galaxy S24+).
What We Do Differently
Only what you circle gets processed—nothing else
True Offline OCR: Text recognition works 100% locally on your device—no internet needed.
QR detection offline, Smart Scan offline—no unnecessary servers
Universal Compatibility: Works with any search engine (Google, Bing, Yandex, TinEye,).
Restored Utility: We brought back the "Share" and "Save" features Google removed.
Works on any Android device, not just expensive flagships
Works on De-Googled Devices no google programs needed.
And has many other useful features
100% Independent: Works on any Android phone (Android 10+), without requiring Google Play Services or OEM-specific software.
Privacy-First: No background tracking or logs—just pure on-device selection.
➥ Download:
- >githubIt still needs a lot of improvements and isn't polished yet, as I am a solo developer working on it. You can download it from GitHub for now, as the new update is yet to be released on F-Droid.
Developer @Aditya_151@lemmy.world
Google's forced cloud syncing in Circle to Search is precisely the kind of thing that makes privacy-conscious users reach for alternatives the moment they notice it. Having multiple search engines available out of the box is the correct move instead of locking you into Google. Does the app handle image search results locally before sending anything upstream?