How to use Circle to Search on a Xiaomi phone (HyperOS 3)

Device

Android

Shown on

Xiaomi Redmi Note 15 Pro 5G (25080RABDG), HyperOS 3.0.308.0, Android 16

App

Settings

Path

Settings › Home screen › System navigation › Press and hold full screen indicator

Real screenshots

5 of 5 steps

Checked

October 2026

Sources

2 official, linked below

Step by step

1. 

   Open Home screen settings

   Open Settings and tap Home screen. It is in the group with Lock screen, Notifications & status bar and Display & brightness.

   Done

2. 

   Tap System navigation

   Scroll down to Other and tap System navigation. Ours said Gestures.

   Done

3. 

   Tap Press and hold full screen indicator

   Gestures was selected on ours. Under Shortcuts, Press and hold full screen indicator said Circle to Search. Tap it.

   Done

4. 

   Pick Circle to Search

   A small list opens: Circle to Search or None. Pick Circle to Search; None turns it off. Ours stayed on Circle to Search.

   Done

5. 

   Touch and hold the bottom bar

   On any screen, touch and hold the line at the bottom. Ours opened with a Google bar at the top and a card: Holding the bottom bar now lets you search what's on your screen. This product uses the selected part of your screen to search. We closed it with Back.

   Done

If you do not see this option

• Settings search finds nothing? On ours, searching Settings for circle to search found only System update, and circle found nothing. Searching for gesture did lead to System navigation.
• Using Buttons instead of Gestures? Xiaomi's guide gives this choice for full screen gestures. With Buttons, the page has Press and hold rows for the Menu, Home and Back buttons instead. Source: Generic User Guide for HyperOS 3.0

If this does not work

• It opens when you rest your thumb? Set Press and hold full screen indicator to None. Source: Generic User Guide for HyperOS 3.0
• Holding the line does nothing? Check the row says Circle to Search, not None. Hide full screen indicator, on the same page, was off on ours, so the line showed.
• Doesn't work in one app? Google says it may not work in some apps, such as banking, medical and other confidential apps. Source: Search your screen with Circle to Search

About this guide

Circle to Search searches whatever is on your screen. On our Redmi it is started by holding the line at the bottom, and the setting for it is a shortcut on the System navigation page.

The screenshots are from our Redmi Note 15 Pro 5G with Xiaomi HyperOS 3.0.308.0 and Android 16, in Light mode. Ours was already set to Circle to Search. We opened Circle to Search once and closed it. We did not search anything or change the setting.

Good to know

Change between gestures and buttons: switch between gestures and buttons on a Xiaomi phone. More shortcuts: use gesture shortcuts.

On a Samsung phone you hold the Home button or the handle: use Circle to Search on a Samsung Galaxy.

In short: Settings, Home screen, System navigation, Press and hold full screen indicator: Circle to Search. Then hold the bottom line.