With Google Search Shortcuts, Answers Are Just a Few Taps Away
Already, Google’s official search app on iOS makes it easy to search by typing keywords or by speaking them. But now, the tech titan is introducing Google search shortcuts, which are tappable icons that themselves carry out searches for common topics of interest, essentially doing away with the need to search by text or voice.
Google search shortcuts appear right below the search box in the Google app for iOS as well as in the Google app for Android and on the mobile version of Google.com. This means that they’re among the first things you see when you launch the Google app or visit the Google site.
When tapped, these shortcuts provide quick answers corresponding to the topics of interest they represent. For example, there are Google search shortcuts that let you quickly check the weather, the hottest in entertainment, the latest in sports, and the best places to eat and drink.
Getting up-to-the-minute info is as easy as a single tap. With shortcuts right on the home screen, you now have access to in-depth experiences across sports, eat & drink, entertainment and weather. Need to know whether to bring a raincoat tomorrow? Want the score to last night’s basketball game? Looking for what’s on TV tonight or who’s nominated for best supporting actress? Shortcuts on Google will get you there.
- GoogleTapping the Google search shortcut for sports shows the latest scores for your teams, trending games, and more.
To be sure, Google has long been able to pretty much give you what you need to know about the weather and other topics. But that’s only after you expressly tell it what to search for, either by text or voice.
These Google search shortcuts just make the information that you’re interested in more accessible when you want it and even when you don’t — since they take the form of clearly visible icons, their very presence is a call to action to use them, regardless of the user’s original intention of opening the Google app or visiting the Google site.
The addition of Google search shortcuts also puts Google in a better position to compete with Facebook, Apple’s Siri and Spotlight Search, and dedicated apps like Foursquare in terms of providing quick answers.
The Google search box is great when you’re looking for a specific answer, but there are also moments when you just want to catch up on the latest for topics of interest.
- GoogleGoogle search shortcuts start rolling out today in the U.S. to users of the Google app for iOS as well as the Google app for Android and the mobile version of Google.com.
Download the latest version of the app to make sure you get Google search shortcuts
Google search shortcuts for “big moments and events,” perhaps like the Oscars and the Olympics, may be expected to appear in the future.