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[App] I made a Circle to Search alternative that works on any Android (with multiple search engines) (thelemmy.club)
submitted 4 months ago by to c/fdroid@lemmy.ml
16 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

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:
- github

It 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.

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[–] 4 points 4 months ago (6 children)

Do I need to do anything else than allow restricted settings, turn on accessibility and switch to CTS for the launcher? Mine still opens the default Google CTS.

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  • [–] [S] 3 points 4 months ago (5 children)

    It can be invoked in two ways:

    • Double-tap on the status bar – this method requires accessibility permission.

    • Set it as your default assistant – once set, you can trigger it just like your device’s default assistant (the exact gesture depends on your device).

    If you prefer using a bottom gesture, you can move the overlay to the bottom of the screen. After that, you’ll be able to invoke it by long-pressing the bottom area of your screen.

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  • [–] 3 points 4 months ago (2 children)

    Its weird that google sends the bottom gesture to their own assistant even when you set a different default.

    • double tapping the status bar opens this new one
    • power button method opens this new one
    • bottom of screen opens Google's annoying interface
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  • [–] 3 points 4 months ago (1 child)

    I'm in the same boat. I use gesture navigation so I have the pill at the bottom.

    Holding that still opens Google's interface.

    @Aditya_151@lemmy.world is there anyway to hook into that?

    I guess for now the workaround is to enable accessibility service and move the overlay to the bottom.

    edit1: also make sure to disable OG circle to search.

    edit2: seems promising but doesn't do OCR text copy like OG circle to search (a future I use a lot). Will be keeping an eye on this.

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  • [–] [S] 1 point 4 months ago

    By default, it uses a fast English model to keep the app size small, which can miss some text. You can download and import a more accurate OCR language model for the best accuracy from dev's telegram group.

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  • [–] 1 point 4 months ago (1 child)

    Shame, would use if it actually replaced the Google CTS natively.

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  • [–] [S] 1 point 4 months ago

    You can disable the native Google CTS long-press gesture from your device’s navigation or launcher settings—it depends on your device or ROM.

    As for replacing the native Google gesture, it’s reserved for Google only, so third-party apps can’t override it directly.

    That’s why apps use workarounds like a bottom overlay to trigger CTS or other actions. This app already supports that—you just need to set it up manually.

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