Samsung loses a big AI exclusive and Pixel owners stand to benefit most

Google is bringing the "translate while you scroll" feature to Pixel phones as part of Android 16 QPR2. This is an update to Pixel devices that brings some tweaks and changes, while also bundling in the December security update. It's available for supported Pixel devices on Android 16 now.

Google announced the clever translation feature in September 2025, as part of an expansion for its Circle to Search functionality. Under the original implementation, users could translate the content of the screen using Circle to Search, but would have to leave Circle to Search to move the screen if they wanted to translate more.

While the original version was great for translating a sign, it wasn't so good on an app where there's more information that you want to see. With translate while you scroll, users can have live translation while moving over the page, so it's better for foreign language apps, menus and so on.

When triggering Circle to Search and tapping on the translate option, the bar will now offer "scroll and translate" as an option, so you can just tap on the bar and start scrolling the page. It will be translated in real time with a minor delay.

But what has this got to do with Samsung? When the change was first announced, it was a Samsung exclusive. But that period of exclusivity has now ended, meaning more people can benefit from the feature if they have a Pixel phone.

It looks like the feature is set to come to other Android devices, with 9to5Google quoting Google as saying: "Available on select devices and internet connection required. Works on compatible apps and surfaces. Results may vary depending on visual matches. Check responses for accuracy."

That's a pretty loose outline of where the feature will be available, but we're already seeing the update on Pixels in the UK.

Google has no shortage of translation options. This includes direct translation using Google Translate, it's integrated into Google Lens for live overlay translation, while Chrome will also translate pages that it detects in a different language.

The advantage that Circle to Search offers is that it's an overlay: it can be triggered on any screen, no matter what app you're in, so it's universal. The addition of scrolling to the translate function aids usability hugely, making it a really great way to navigate content in a language you don't understand.