Over the past several years, Google has moved to provide people with a direct answer when they search. These “Featured Snippets” power Google Assistant queries, and the company is now making a tweak to not repeat them in web results.
Over the past several years, Google has been adding a bookmarking feature to all of Search. “Collections” is getting a prominent launch by being elevated to its own Google app tab on Android.
Online shopping today is incredibly lucrative with various Google products, including a dedicated site, optimized for it. To make it easier to virtually browse, Google Search is bringing together different stores and brands into a new “Product products” card.
While most large retailers already have their inventory online, the same cannot be said about local stores. To power its “See what’s in store” feature, Google announced today that it’s acquiring Dublin-based Pointy.
For years, Google allowed users to try upcoming products and experimental features within existing products ahead of a wider release through a program called Labs, which has since been discontinued. Now, Labs is making a comeback through the Google app, bringing with it experimental features like pinch-to-zoom for search results.
While there’s no doubt that Google is what comes to mind when most people think of a search engine, there are a plethora of other great choices on both web and mobile like DuckDuckGo. Following a silent auction last year, Google has unveiled the search engines that will be presented to Android devices in the European Economic Area.
Google invites K-12 students every year to create a Doodle for the iconic Search homepage. Doodle for Google 2020 is now accepting U.S. submissions with a “I show kindness by…” theme.
Earlier this year, the Google app weather card was redesigned with themed cover images that match the current condition. Google Weather and the whimsical frog are now getting in on the New Year’s Eve action with a series of 2020 illustrations, depending on your forecast.
Earlier this year, it emerged that TurboTax and other tax services “deliberately” hid free filing options from Google Search. The IRS just announced that those companies have agreed to no longer engage in tactics that result in Americans paying for tools when a free option is available.
Keeping track of what you’re watching is harder than ever in the golden age of television and various streaming services. Google is adding a built-in “Watchlist” to Search that lets you quickly bookmark movies and TV shows.
Given people’s tendency to search for things rather than enter URLs, Google in recent years has been directly integrated contest voting. Search and Assistant this year are again the official third-party partners for the NBA All-Star Vote.
Earlier this month, Google AR & VR announced that ARCore phones could detect depth using just a single lens. Object blending is now beginning to roll out in Google Search AR.
There’s a search widget on the homescreen of almost every Android smartphone and, for a long time, it was able to search both Google and the data stored on your phone and in your account. However, it appears that results for the latter are starting to be buried in the Google app as the Search widget hides personal results.
Back in July, Google redesigned the News tab in desktop Search. Looking for current events on mobile is now getting its own revamp with what Google calls “smarter organization” though machine learning and richer article cards.
With the year coming to close in a matter of weeks, it’s time for recaps. Following YouTube Rewind, Google today released the annual Year in Search video and 2019’s theme is heroes.
When getting a package tracking number, most people today just Google it, as the search engine has long been able to direct users to the correct shipping carrier’s site. Google Search package tracking could soon be directly integrated.
Google frequently updates and tweaks Search algorithms to improve the accuracy of results. The latest change is focused on improving Google’s local search results by leveraging an AI-based system known as neural matching.
Yesterday, annual fan voting for The Game Awards — a popular celebration of video game creatives and Esports personalities — opened. Google has partnered with the event to bring voting functionality to Google Search.
These days, most people just turn to Google Search for definitions and other word-related queries. Google is now adding an experimental pronunciation feature, while definitions and translations are gaining images when contextually relevant.
Sometimes when you start searching for something on Google, you’ll find yourself searching for a few other things soon after. To help you quickly move on to your next query, Google Search on the desktop is testing a “Clear” button in the search box.
One of the better things about Google Search is the extra information it can tell you without having to click on a specific search result, including a quick rundown of the weather for any given area. On Google Search for mobile web, the weather card has been updated with the latest Material Theme stylings and a more detailed forecast.
Google today announced what it considers to be “one of the biggest leaps forward in the history of Search.” By applying a neural network-based technique known as BERT, the search engine will get better at understanding questions that are asked in a natural, everyday manner.
The Material Theme rolled out to Google Search on the web in bits and pieces over the past year. Google.com today is A/B testing a visually notable homepage revamp that also separates and highlights voice search.
