This open-source Circle to Search skips Gemini and works offline

Published Oct 24, 2026, 1:00 PM EDT Joe Fedewa has been writing about technology for over a decade. Android and the rest of the Google ecosystem have been a focus for years, as well as reviewing devices, hosting podcasts, filming videos, and writing tutorials. Joe loves all things technology and is also an avid DIYer and food blogger .

He has written thousands of articles, hundreds of tutorials, and dozens of reviews. Before joining How-To Geek , Joe worked at XDA-Developers as Managing Editor and covered news from the Google ecosystem. He got his start in the industry covering Windows Phone on a small blog, and later moved to Phandroid where he covered Android news, reviewed devices, wrote tutorials, created YouTube videos, and hosted a podcast.

From smartphones to Bluetooth earbuds to Z-Wave switches, Joe is interested in all kinds of technology. After several years of jailbreaking and heavily modifying an iPod Touch, he moved on to his first smartphone, the HTC DROID Eris. He's been hooked ever since.

Google Lens quickly became a favorite app when it launched. Over the years, it's changed quite a bit — getting new features like "Circle to Search" and, of course, AI. Some would say it hasn't changed for the better, but there are alternatives.

The biggest change has been the move from a Google Search-based system to letting Gemini handle everything. This has resulted in people being unhappy with the results. The complaints about Google Lens go beyond functionality, as well.

An increasing number of people are looking for ways to avoid Google for privacy reasons. So, let's try an open-source, AI-free alternative. The problem with Google Lens Still good, but not as reliable Google Lens has always been about making it easier to search for things.

For many years, it was essentially a super-powered version of the traditional Google Search. Rather than manually typing out a description of what you're looking at, Lens would process a photo and break it down into a search query for you. Recently, Google changed how Lens works.

First, it's not as easily accessible anymore. You used to be able to simply hold the home button, then press "Search with Google Lens" from the pop-up. Not anymore .

Second, it now relies on Gemini to do the photo identification and searching. This has led to an uptick in inaccurate responses, unwanted conversations , and hallucinations. Google also removed the "Share" and "Save" features from Lens, which turned off a lot of users.

Lastly, in regard to privacy, when using Circle to Search, the entire screenshot — not only the part you highlight — is sent to Gemini . Now, I'm not going to pretend Lens is trash. I still use it often, and it's pretty amazing when it works.

However, I fully agree that Google has made it more difficult to access, and it's not always as spot-on as it used to be. I set out to find an alternative, and I stumbled upon one with a familiar name. Not that Circle to Search Same name, different approach "Circle to Search" was released earlier this year by AKS Labs.

As the name makes blatantly clear, it's an alternative to Google Lens' Circle to Search feature . This Android app has several key differences that make it appealing. First, it's open source, meaning anyone can take a peek inside and see how it works.

That's important when you're literally scanning things on your screen. The big feature, however, is that it works online. As mentioned, using Google's Circle to Search in Lens sends a full screenshot to Gemini.

It also requires an internet connection for just about everything else. The open source Circle to Search only processes what you select, and it doesn't require an internet connection for text recognition or scanning QR codes. In addition, the open source Circle to Search isn't locked to Google.

You can use Bing, Yandex, or TinEye in addition to Google . The app works on phones that have been De-Googled, as well. And for good measure, it brought back the "Share" and "Save" features.

How to use open source Circle to Search To use the open source Circle to Search, download it for free from GitHub , F-Droid , or the Play Store . Upon opening it for the first time, you'll need to enable an Accessibility permission. This is needed for activating Circle to Search.

There are three ways to perform a search. The default method is to double-tap the status bar — the very top of the screen. You can fine-tune the precise size and location of the tapping zone (I put mine around the front camera cutout).

Second, it can be set as the default assistant, allowing you to launch it just like you would launch Google's Circle to Search. Third, a floating button can be present on the screen at all times. Performing a search works exactly as you'd expect: simply draw a circle around anything on your screen.

From there, you'll be brought to a screen with tabs at the top for your preferred search engines. Google is the default, but this can be changed in the settings. That's all there is to it!

The app is delightfully simple, like Google Lens used to be. You don't even have to ditch Google if you don't want to. This can be a way to go back to the old style of Google Lens, without all the extra stuff.