Inside Search: mobile

The power of Search, now across apps

December 4, 2013

A task as simple as choosing a movie to see can actually be complex — and the information you want can be in several different places, often in apps. You might get your trivia from IMDb, the box office stats from Wikipedia and ratings from Rotten Tomatoes. Starting today, Google can save you the digging for information in the dozens of apps you use every day, and get you right where you need to go in those apps with a single search. Google Search can make your life a little easier by fetching the answer you need for you — whether it’s on the web, or buried in an app. Getting you there fasterLet’s say you’re getting ready for the holidays but can’t remember the name of that classic Christmas movie you want to show your children. Now, you can use Google search to find the movie and learn more about it in one of your favorite apps.

Helping you find just the right app

These new features are rolling out now on Android (through the Google Search app or directly in Chrome and Android browsers). App listings from Google Play will appear in search when they’re relevant. You’ll be able to search within a select number of apps initially (learn more). We’re working with developers to add more over the coming months (if you’re a developer, learn more).
This is just one step toward bringing apps and the web together, making it even easier to get the right information, regardless of where it’s located. Posted by Scott Huffman, VP of Engineering

Make more of your day with the updated Google Search app for iOS

November 5, 2013

Like many of you, I feel like I’m always short on time — between work, shuttling my son around, meeting up with friends, and dealing with everyday chores. With more and more information to manage, we could all use a little extra help to get more out of our day. With the updated Google Search app for iPhones and iPads, we hope we can save you a bit more time each day — so you can spend it on more interesting things.
Here are a few new things you can do with the updated app:

When there’s important stuff that you need to know right now, Google will now automatically send you a notification. For example, while I was busy getting my son ready this morning, a notification appeared on my lock screen telling me that I should leave for his dentist appointment right away because of a traffic jam.

You can now easily set reminders for yourself, and Google will even notify you when you're near the location for that particular task. So if you say "OK Google, remind me to mail the checks when I get home," you'll get a notification as soon as your house pulls into view.

Reminders can also be handy for keeping up with your favorite entertainment. Search for movies, albums, actors or artists, and click on "Remind me" — Google Now will let you know when a new movie is about to debut or your favorite band has a new album.

You no longer need to comb through email to find an upcoming flight’s boarding pass or the tickets to your next movie or concert. The updated app will simply show you a Google Now card with your tickets when you arrive at the theatre or airport.

Finally, even talking to Google got easier: when the app is open on your iPhone (4s and up) and iPad (2 and up), just say “OK Google” to ask any question out loud and get instant answers spoken back.

The updated Google Search app is available internationally, but reminders and “OK Google” hands free voice search work only in English for now. Everyone can enjoy the overall feature updates starting today.

You can download the updated Google Search app with Google Now from the App Store now — open it, sign in, and you’re ready to go. Don’t forget to drag it to your tray so it’s always handy.

Posted by Ian Wilkinson, Software Engineer

Get richer, more interactive answers

August 9, 2012

weather on tablet and mobilecalculator feature

financecurrency conversionunit conversiondictionary definitionslocal time lookupholidaysunrise times

Posted by Jeromy Henry, User Experience Designer

Make your mark on Google with Handwrite for Mobile and Tablet Search

July 26, 2012

speaking your queriesgetting results before you finish typingsearching by imageNote that after you've saved the setting, you may need to refresh the homepage to see the feature.

Help Center articleadd it to your home screenChromePosted by Rui Ueyama, Software Engineer(Cross-posted from the Official Google Blog)

Find places faster with quick access to local info on the go

May 25, 2012

local information you see when searching on your computer

Posted by Dan Zivkovic, Software Engineer

A faster, simpler Google Search app for iPhone

May 23, 2012

(Cross-posted on the Official Google Blog and Google Mobile Blog) the Google Search app

Search by voice, by typing, or with your camera

Get results, fast

When you’re on the go, you usually want to get things done quickly. Autocompletion of search suggestions is significantly faster in this latest version of the app, bringing you search predictions instantly with each letter you type. You’ll also notice that results load faster, and checking out webpages is easy with the slide-in panel. Quickly swipe back and forth between webpages and your search results, and swap between search modes like Images and Places with a swipeable menu. Finding text within a webpage is a snap as well; just try tapping the magnifying glass on the bottom menu option on any page.


Easily switch between search modes using the swipeable menu at the bottom	Swipe the slide-in panel to instantly return to your search results

Beautiful Image Search

Searching for images will never again be a chore. Tap the images button at the bottom of the search results page, and watch high-resolution images load into a beautiful grid. Browse the images by scrolling down the full-screen grid, or tap on a single image to get details about it and then quickly swipe from image to image. You can also tap and hold an image to save it to your camera roll to use as your wallpaper or share with a friend.

Full-screen image results take advantage of every inch of the screen

Swipe or tap on the edges to move between images

Sutro Tower image by Marc Liyanage

Simple access

We’ve put all of your favorite Google services in one place for easy access. You can choose to browse Google web apps, or see just the apps that you have on your phone. Sign in once, and you’ll never need to sign in again to check a quick email, view your next calendar appointment or see what’s hot on Google+.

All your Google mobile apps in one place

Download the Google Search app now for a fast, beautiful, simple search experience on your iPhone.

Posted by Noah Levin, Interaction Designer, Google Search app

The Knowledge Graph for mobile and tablet search

May 16, 2012

launch of the Knowledge GraphMillennium Park

galaxyTV seriesSwedish band

Posted by Junyoung Lee, Engineering Manager

A completely redesigned Google Search App for Windows 7.5 phones

March 7, 2012

(Cross-posted on the Google Mobile Blog)

Google Autocomplete: As you type in your search, our autocomplete feature offers search predictions that often match your intended search term making search entry easier and faster.

Voice Search: With our voice feature, you can avoid typing all together. Simply press the microphone and begin speaking your query.

My Location: With your permission, Google can use your device location to provide nearby results easily and accurately. For instance, a search for “coffee shops” quickly displays the nearest places you can go to for a cup of coffee.

The new Google Search app now has Voice Search (left) as well as Google Autocomplete (right)Windows Marketplace Posted by Ryan Doherty, Software Engineer

Introducing a new local search experience across your devices

March 5, 2012

(Cross-posted on the Google Mobile Blog) Web Historysearching for a place

The new “Recent” icon shows information about places you have recently searched for on any of your devices. Try swiping to the right to see more icons for other categories of places.Posted by Junichi Uekawa, Software Engineer

Update March 22: Edited to reflect that local information will be available for about three days.

Exploring art from the Met -- wherever you find it

December 16, 2011

Metropolitan Museum of ArtGoogle Goggles

how to use Google GogglesPosted by Matt Bridges, Technical Lead, Google Goggles

Now playing: Faster movie search on Android and iPhone

December 9, 2011

(Cross-posted on the Google Mobile blog)

Posted by Toshi Tajima, Software Engineer

Tablet image results in new carousel view

December 8, 2011

(Cross-posted on the Google Mobile blog)evolve the Google design and experience
Try out the new image carousel by going to Google on your iOS or Android tablet’s browser and searching for your favorite images. This feature is currently available in over 40 languages.
I hope you enjoy searching for beautiful images in this new view.
Posted by Nathan Beach, Product Manager

The new Google Search app for iPad

November 21, 2011

(Cross posted on the Google Mobile Blog)

Today, we're very pleased to be launching a significant redesign for the Google Search app for iPad. As you can see in our video, whether you're doing research and comparing results, or exploring beautiful imagery, we have added new features to make the app more interactive, more visual and to help you find what you want more easily.

More interactive You'll notice that searching is faster and more interactive from your first keystroke. As soon as you begin to type, Google Instant starts to display results, so you don't even need to press the search button. Once you pick a web page to visit, you'll see the page load on a new, slide-in pane that will layer over the search results. You can slide the pane to the right to get back to your search results, and even keep scrolling through the results as your web page is loading. This allows you to go back and forth from results to web pages quickly to get the information you are looking for.

View search results on the left and a web page on the right in the slide-in pane

More visual Viewing image results in the app is now much more vivid. Tap on any image result to use the new image carousel, which lets beautiful images shine. You'll see the image you selected expand, and you can easily swipe through the carousel to see other similar images.

Swipe through the image carousel

Often you may be looking to find something you have seen before again or are continuing research on a topic. But on a tablet, typing can be a challenge. That is why we have created a visual way to explore your search history. Swipe right to view snapshots of pages you've visited, stacked and organized by search term. You can also manage your search history from this new view.

See your past searches with a new, visual history

With this release, we also brought Instant Previews to the app so you can quickly compare web pages before you choose your result. Tapping on an icon in the top right of the screen brings you into a visual preview of the pages for your search result, easy to scroll through with the swipe of a finger.

Find easily Finally, we added a few extra features that we hope will help you find what you want more easily. After you've selected a result, a new tool helps you find exactly what you need within a web page. Tap the magnifying glass on the top right-hand corner to highlight the most relevant section of the page. You can recommend pages you like with the new +1 button, right next to the magnifying glass, and help others find relevant sites more easily as well.

Helpful tools while you search

We've also made it easier to find and use your favorite Google services like Google News, Calendar and more in the new Apps menu. Tap on an icon to quickly read an email in Gmail, or share a post on Google+ within the slide-in pane. When you slide the pane to the right, you‚Äôll be right back to searching.

Easily find more Google services

The app is available worldwide for iPads with iOS 4.0+. Download it in the App Store and start enjoying a faster and more interactive experience now.

Posted by Daniel Fish, Software Engineer