this post was submitted on 21 Apr 2026
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F-Droid

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F-Droid is an installable catalogue of FOSS (Free and Open Source Software) applications for the Android platform. The client makes it easy to browse, install, and keep track of updates on your device.

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[App] I made a Circle to Search alternative that works on any Android (with multiple search engines) (lemmy.ml)
submitted 3 weeks ago by Aditya_151@lemmy.world to c/fdroid@lemmy.ml
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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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[–] otter@lemmy.ca 1 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

This is cool! My only concern is with the image uploads. I'd like to be able to stop it from uploading to the fallback since I don't want the images to stick around permanently. Or one more confirmation before uploading, in case I trigger it accidentally.

[–] Aditya_151@lemmy.world 1 points 3 weeks ago

That’s a valid concern, and I’ve been thinking about it too.

In future updates, I’m planning to remove services like litterbox/catbox completely and move toward a self-hosted approach, where your own device acts as the server and the image is shared directly with the selected search engine.

I’m also considering adding an extra confirmation step to prevent accidental uploads.

That said, I’d still recommend avoiding uploading sensitive images—once something is sent to a search engine, it’s out of the app’s control and may be used by them to improve their services

[–] FriendBesto@lemmy.ml 1 points 2 weeks ago

Nice, friend, that is for the share!

[–] BeatTakeshi@lemmy.world 1 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

FYI my banking application locks itself because of your app being present on my phone. A bit pissed about how much info these apps gather, but I thought you should know. Message me if you wish more details

[–] Aditya_151@lemmy.world 1 points 1 week ago

try installing it from playstore and tell me if it works or not

[–] BeatTakeshi@lemmy.world 0 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Wonderful! Thank you. I did not manage to replace the default long press of Google search, and I don't use the status bar, only gestures. But happy with the floating button.

[–] Aditya_151@lemmy.world 0 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

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.