In major update, Google Search gets a lot more personal
App will feature stories based on your searches and location
Google’s goal for the next update to its Search app for Android and iOS: Make it more personal.
The company outlined a major update to the app, which rolled out Wednesday in the U.S. and will come to international markets over the next couple of weeks.
At the core is a feed Google says will be smarter. Not only will it feature stories and other content based on your searches, but it also considers what’s trending near your location. The outcome sounds similar to another, widely popular news feed on competitor Facebook.
For example, the Google feed might show the latest weather, followed by stories or videos based on search results.
Shashi Thakur, vice president of engineering at Google, says the update will make it easier to “discover, explore and stay connected to what matters to you — even when you don’t have a query in mind.”
Thakur’s comments bring to mind Google Now, the idea hatched in 2012 that Google would surface stuff it deemed relevant to you even before you searched for it, perhaps the local forecast or sightseeing suggestions in the city you visit on vacation.
With these enhancements to search, Google isn’t giving up on that basic conceit, even if the Google Now name no longer is part of the equation and the stuff of interest comes through this more personalized feed.
The latest changes build on the Google feed that was introduced in December and organized into two sections.
At the bottom of the Google app are two icons. Tapping the one on the left summons news, sports and entertainment stories Google thinks you’ll want to see (e.g., “You’ve shown interest in NFL.”) If Google gets it wrong, you can tap controls to indicate you aren’t interested in the given topic or don’t want to see stories from the source in which an article originated.
Tapping the tab at the bottom right surfaces more personal information, such as transit timetables and commute options for heading home.
In some instances, users will also have the option to “follow” search results, such as movies, sports teams or bands. An example featured by Google shows a user following the Netflix series
Stranger Things after searching for details on its second season. But unlike Facebook, it’s just based on your own queries — not your friends’.
Google says it’s now easier to “discover, explore and stay connected to what matters to you — even when you don’t have a query in mind.”