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Google Search for Android update now finds information inside your installed apps

Screen Shot 2013-12-04 at 3.22.18 PM

Google just announced a major update to Google Search for Android that is going to make finding information a whole lot easier. In simple terms, Google had added app listings to search results which allows your apps to show up in search results, as well as results from Google Play.

This two-sided update will work in two distinctly different but equally useful ways. For instance, say you want to find a movie for the holidays but can’t remember the name. You can use the Google Search app to find the movie and then from the search results open your already-installed IMDB to learn more about the movie. As for Google Play results, a search for downhill skiing will show a “collection of useful apps” referencing downhill skiing inside the search app results.

In other words, if you have an app installed all you have to do is click “Open in app” on the search results page and you’ll go right to the relevant app. If a search includes relevant apps from inside Google Play, you’ll see them grouped together and just hit the price button to go right to the Play Store.

Sounds very, very similar to the new launcher on Android 4.4 KitKat.

The power of Search, now across apps

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 faster

Let’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
Sometimes, the best answer for a search can be an app. Say you want to explore downhill skiing — now, you can just ask Google for downhill skiing apps and get a collection of useful apps.

These new features are rolling out now on Android (through the Google Search app or directly in Chrome and Android browsers). App listings for 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.

 

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