Whether we call Google Now “predictive search,” “anticipatory search” or a “virtual assistant,” the capability is highly useful and improving regularly. Previously exclusive to Android devices with OS 4.1 or higher (“Jelly Bean”) Google Now is now available for the iPhone and iPad.
You’ll need to download the latest version of the Google Search app to get it.
Google Now is partly Google’s answer to Siri (and Passbook) and partly a wholly independent development that takes your search history, your Gmail entries, your calendar, your location and other “context” to deliver a range of personalized information without having to actively search for it.
Google Now for iOS operates in essentially the same way as it does on Android devices: users swipe up from the bottom of the screen to receive customized information cards. The cards feature weather, traffic, stock quotes, recent sports scores, local places of interest, movie showtimes and so on. Below is a complete list of the content/data available through Google Now.
Source: Google
The cards on the chart above “missing” from iOS are newer cards that will soon come to iOS. Google confirmed this.
Those who download and use the service will likely find themselves using it regularly (as I do). While it can sometimes be flawed or inaccurate — if you travel a lot it will often give you information about the city you just left rather than where you are — it offers a growing corpus of useful information. As mentioned, it continues to expand and improve.
Google requires users to sign in to get access to Google Now, so the company will gain mobile usage data it wouldn’t otherwise have in the process. It’s a very effective way for Google to get iOS users re-engaged with search on their iPhones and iPads.
A survey we conducted in June of last year (n=503 US iPhone 4S owners 18 and older) found that most people who searched Google on their iPhones didn’t use the Google Search app:
Which of the following do you use MOST OFTEN to search the web on your phone?
- I visit Google.com to search: 44.9 percent
- I use search in the Safari toobar: 26.4 percent
- I use the Google mobile app: 19.3 percent
- I use Siri to search the web: 11.1 percent
- I use Bing and/or Yahoo: 6.6 percent
If this survey were done today we might see slightly different percentages but directionally the results would be similar. It will be interesting to see whether and how the numbers change several months from now — and whether the introduction of Google Now for iOS has had a meaningful impact on user behavior.