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.
“How Google Search works” is a perennially asked question, with the query increasingly asked in political contexts. The company has taken steps to publicize and be more transparent in recent years, including a Search Liaison, with the latest being an updated video explainer.
While many pre-orderers received shipments earlier this week, the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL officially launches today. Google is marking this occasion by highlighting the hardware on the Search homepage.
One of early Google’s most ambitious projects was to scan the world’s books and make them available online. The project ran into a number of copyright issues, but still exists as Search’s book lookup functionality. Today, the service is getting redesigned with the Google Material Theme.
Back in May, Google revamped mobile Search results by adding site favicons to each listing. The company is now A/B testing a similar redesign for the Google Search results page on desktop web that also removes URLs.
In recent years, video has become an increasingly important format in Google Search. To help webmasters better optimize performance, the Search Console is adding and expanding two new reports related to video.
The Google app has long had a built-in bookmarking feature to save links, images, and places found through Search. An update is rolling out today on Android that redesigns the interface, and prominently elevates it to the bottom bar.
Google in recent years has worked to better communicate the inner workings of Search. The company this year announced a series of Webmaster Conferences around the world, and one is now coming to Mountain View this November.
Last September, Google Search marked its 20th anniversary and the company laid out plans for the engine’s future. Besides bringing Discover to the web and making Lens available in Images, Google discussed “dynamic organization” for Search results. This feature is now making its way to the desktop web via a subtopics sidebar.
