According to Android Authority, Google’s second quarterly Android 16 update, known as QPR2, began rolling out to Pixel 6, Pixel 6 Pro, and all newer Pixel models earlier this week. This update delivers a host of visual and accessibility tweaks, including forced icon theming and a system-level forced dark mode. Crucially, it also upgrades the Circle to Search feature, which first launched in September, by finally adding continuous scrolling support. This capability had been exclusive to Samsung’s Galaxy devices since the feature’s debut. The update means Pixel users can now long-press the navigation bar or home button to activate Circle to Search and seamlessly scroll through content without interruption.
Pixel Users Rejoice
This is one of those updates that feels like it should have been there from the start. Circle to Search is incredibly handy, but that initial limitation—where it would only capture a static screenshot of what was immediately on screen—always felt a bit clunky. The continuous scroll transforms it from a neat party trick into a genuinely useful research and shopping tool. Now Pixel owners can, for example, start a search on a product in a social media feed and then just keep scrolling to see more details or related items without breaking the flow. It’s a small change on paper, but it massively improves the daily utility of a flagship AI feature. Better late than never, right?
The Samsung Exclusive Ends
Here’s the thing: this move was inevitable. When Circle to Search launched as a headline feature for the Galaxy S24 series back in January (after a soft launch in September), that Samsung exclusivity for the best version was a clear partnership perk. It gave Samsung a tangible software advantage for a few months. But Google was never going to let its own hardware languish with a gimped version of its own marquee software. This QPR2 update effectively ends that exclusive period and brings the Pixel lineup to parity. It subtly shifts the competitive landscape back toward raw hardware and ecosystem integration, where Google hopes to win.
More Than Just a Scroll
While the scrolling update is the headliner for Circle to Search, Android Authority notes the QPR2 update also brings improvements to how the feature handles translations. That’s a smart, under-the-radar enhancement. Think about it: the most natural use case for circling something on your screen is often a bit of foreign text you don’t understand. Making that translation step faster and more accurate directly attacks a real user pain point. Combined with the forced dark mode and accessibility features, this quarterly update feels less about flashy new toys and more about refining and polishing the Android experience on Pixel. It’s the kind of incremental work that makes a platform feel mature and thoughtful.
What It Really Signals
So what’s the bigger takeaway? To me, this underscores Google’s ongoing struggle to balance its partnerships with its own product ambitions. They need Samsung to deploy and validate their latest AI features at scale, which sometimes means giving them a temporary edge. But they also need to prove that the “Google experience” on a Pixel is the best and most complete version of Android. Closing this feature gap is a necessary step in that dance. For users, it’s a straight-up win. You’re getting a more powerful, versatile tool without having to think about which brand of phone you bought. And in the end, that’s what really matters.
