Google has released the eagerly awaited version 4.0.0 of its Google Search app for iOS. The latest version has a lot of new features that have been transferred over from Google Now. One new feature that is particularly useful is the conversational search option. This is activated when a user starts a search by saying “OK Google”. The app will then listen to several different queries and put them together into one search result. This option allows the user to effectively add parameters to a search as they think of them.
The release notes included a sample of how the new feature will work as follows:
- “OK Google” – This starts the query
- “What’s the weather like?” – This gives produces the current weather
- “What about this weekend?” – This changes the result to include from today to the weekend.
Under the previous version a user would have had to make two separate search queries with the term weather in each query. Now the app can make connections between the two questions, making the search quicker and more efficient.
The new version of the app includes other snazzy new features as well. There are search cards that stay near the bottom of the app, and provide the user with updated information on previous searches that they have made. For example a search on a particular event will create a search card, and it will update as new information on that event is posted. This feature also works well with sports events providing scores and other information. The final boost provided by the new version, is an increase in search speed and faster load times.
