Inside Search
The official Google Search blog
Celebrate Constitution Day with Google
September 17, 2015
Trying to remember how that famous phrase “We the People…” ends? Scratching your head over what’s included in the Tenth Amendment? Or maybe you need a refresher on how many amendments are even in the United States Constitution—or the Constitution of Japan, for that matter. Now (on Constitution Day, no less!) this information is more accessible than ever, thanks to our partnership with the
Constitute Project
.
The Constitute Project helps people access, compare and analyze the world’s constitutions. Now we’re adding more of this content to our search results, so you can find the full text for the United States Constitution—or constitutions from 12 other countries—right at the top of your search results page. To try it out, type (or say) “constitution” into Google Search or the Google App and a box will pop up with the Preamble for the United States Constitution and a drop-down menu where you can see all of the accompanying articles and amendments.
Besides the United States, you can find the constitutions for Afghanistan, Bhutan, Estonia, Finland, France, Iceland, Japan, Laos, Latvia, Micronesia, Norway and Ukraine. We’re starting with these constitutions and looking forward to adding more soon.
We're excited to play our part in showing the world the common ideals that tie different countries together, and the differences that make them each unique. In the end, We the People...of Google are always trying to do what we can in Order to form a more perfect Search.
Posted by Brett Perlmutter, Special Projects Lead, Google Ideas
Now Google can help with updated health information
September 3, 2015
In early August, New York City saw an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease, a very rare and sometimes deadly form of pneumonia. As more outbreaks came to light,
Google searches for Legionnaires' disease
spiked over 1,000%. People wanted to know what this disease is, why it’s spreading, and how to prevent it. So we quickly updated our health conditions feature (first
launched last February
) to provide information on Legionnaires' right up front, from a simple search.
Indeed, health conditions continue to be among the most important things people ask Google about, and one of our most popular features. So today we’re announcing broader updates—over the next few weeks, you’ll notice:
Hundreds more health conditions (soon over 900 total, more than double the number we started with) where you’ll get quick at-a-glance info on symptoms, treatments, prevalence, and more
Visual design improvements and some more specific triggering so it’s quicker and easier to get the info you need (for example, you can now search for “pink eye symptoms” and you’ll get straight to the symptoms tab)
A ‘Download PDF’ link so you can easily print this information for a doctor’s visit—this has been a top request from doctors
We’re making sure to include
neglected tropical diseases
, a set of infections that affect over 1.5 billion people including 500 million children in poorer regions. We think it's important for people to have facts on these diseases, such as Dengue Fever (already included), Chikungunya, and Leishmaniasis (to be added soon). Today the feature is still only in U.S. English, but we plan to expand it to more languages and regions.
As before, we’ve consulted and worked closely with a team of doctors to curate and validate this information. We’ve gotten lots of positive, helpful feedback from our users and medical professionals, and we’ll keep working to bring useful health information to your fingertips, whether in
the Google app
or on desktop.
Posted by Prem Ramaswami, Product Manager
Visual updates to Search and Now cards
September 1, 2015
Today, people use Google very differently from just a few years ago—we’re now as likely to touch and talk as we are to type. We also use Google on an endless number of devices, from mobile phones, TVs, and watches, to the dashboards in our cars, all in addition to desktop. We just
announced
a new visual language for Google that reflects this. You’ll start seeing our new logo, icon and animated dots soon across Google, including when you search on the mobile web and, of course, the Google app.
With mobile devices in mind, we’ve also made some changes to our search results page to help you more easily find what you need and dive into diverse content such as images, videos, news stories and more — by simply swiping and tapping.
On Android, we’ve also updated the “home page” of our Google app (which you can always get to by tapping the new, colorful G icon). On days when there’s a doodle, you’ll find it at the top of the page and Now cards will be organized by category so you can find what you need more predictably. As your day progresses, Now cards shift and change size so that the most important ones stand out.
If today’s news makes you curious about how our logo has changed over time, a search for
Google logo history
will give you a peek. And for those times when you’re
feeling curious
, we also have something fun!
Download high res images
Posted by Kai Conragan, Product Designer
Rest your thumbs: Ask Google to send your messages via WhatsApp, Viber and more
July 28, 2015
Between friends, family and work, we send dozens of messages a day. But there’s an easier way to do that than using your thumbs on tiny keyboards. Starting today, you can send messages using some of your favorite messaging apps on your Android by simply talking to Google, just like you can already do to send quick emails, Hangouts or text messages.
With the Google app on your Android, you can already say things like “Ok Google, send a text to Taylor: I’ll be in town for the weekend, want to meet up?”—the same way you can ask Google all your questions by voice on your phone. Now, you can do the same with some popular messaging apps.
Just say, “Ok Google, send a WhatsApp message to Joe”—after which you’ll get a prompt asking you to dictate your message. Or, you can do it all in one step: “Ok Google, send a Viber message to Josh: let’s do dinner tomorrow night.” In addition to WhatsApp and Viber, you can send voice messages via WeChat, Telegram and NextPlus (just make sure you have the latest version of both the messaging and the Google app). You’ll be able to do this in English initially (not only in the US though!) and we’ll be working to add more apps and languages in the future.
With all of us spending so much time in apps, we’ve been working to add new ways to surface the right content from your apps at the right time. Over the past few months, you may have seen
Now cards from many of your favorite apps
and new ways to also
get things done across your apps by just asking Google
something, like “Ok Google, Shazam this song” or “Show me apartments for rent near me on Zillow.” So type less and speak more—your thumbs will thank you.
Posted by Sunil Vemuri, Product Manager
Find app content straight from the Google app—now on iPhone and iPad
June 4, 2015
No matter what you’re searching for, you should get the best answers—whether they’re on the web or in an app. Two years ago we
announced
a big first step in making Google Search even more useful when you’re searching on Android: we started showing links to content from apps you had on your phone, from reviews of the French restaurant you’re considering for dinner to last-minute seats for the Giants game. Recently we
expanded
this so that you can also find content in Android apps you don’t yet have, with links to install apps that might have a great answer to your question.
Last week, we
announced
the next step: developers can now get their apps indexed to appear in search results on iOS as well. This week, we’re rolling this out so you’ll start seeing in-app content from an initial set of partners among search results when searching with
the Google app
or in Chrome for iPhone and iPad (you need to be signed in). From there, just tap the search result to open that app.
Try telling Google “I need a reservation at Bombay Cricket Club” and you’ll see results from the OpenTable app.
You can also search for “DIY interior design” and easily explore pinboards on Pinterest. Try “buy Giants tickets” for results including one from the SeatGeek app, or even ask “what is the definition of googol” and see results from The Free Dictionary.
This is a small first step, with links to just a handful of apps: Eat24, Free Dictionary, Huffington Post, OpenTable, Pinterest, SeatGeek, Slideshare, Tapatalk, Yellow Pages, YouTube and Zillow in the U.S., Biblia JFA Offline and Letras in Brazil, Cookpad and Tabelog in Japan, Domain in Australia, and eBay Kleinanzeigen in Germany. Of course, we’re working on adding many more of your favorites.
Finally, in addition to helping you find content from the apps you already have on your iPhone or iPad, we’ve also made it easier to discover great new apps right in Google Search (the same way you can already do on Android). Now when you search for things like “word games” you’ll see a list of relevant apps in your search results that you can easily install from there.
Stay tuned as we’ll be expanding the ways we can help you find great content from more apps in the coming months.
Posted by Eli Wald, Product Manager
“Now on tap” to help you with what you need in the moment, anywhere on your phone
May 28, 2015
Your mobile phone does wonderful things for you, but it’s still not always easy to find a quick piece of information or get something done on the fly while you’re in the middle of something else—like listening to music, texting your friends, or reading your email. Too often, you have to leave what you’re doing just to look for what you need somewhere else on your phone. Making it easy to find what you need is core to our mission, and today at Google I/O we previewed Google Now enhancements to help remove some of this hassle.
Since we launched Google Now, we’ve been expanding the ways it can help and do more of the work for you. You can get notifications like where you parked your car, news stories based on your interests, or help with travel like your upcoming reservations. We’ve also gotten better at giving smarter answers to some of your questions (“Is my flight on time?”) and at helping you get things done across your apps (“Ok Google, play Sugar on Spotify”).
We’re working to make Google Now a little smarter in the
upcoming Android M release
, so you can ask it to assist you with whatever you’re doing—right in the moment, anywhere on your phone. With “Now on tap,” you can simply tap and hold the home button for assistance without having to leave what you’re doing—whether you’re in an app or on a website. For example, if a friend emails you about seeing the new movie Tomorrowland, you can invoke Google Now without leaving your app, to quickly see the ratings, watch a trailer, or even buy tickets—then get right back to what you were doing.
If you’re chatting with a friend about where to get dinner, Google can bring you quick info about the place your friend recommends. You’ll also see other apps on your phone, like OpenTable or Yelp, so you can easily make a reservation, read reviews or check out the menu.
When you tap and hold the home button, Google gives you options that are a best guess of what might be helpful to you in the moment. But if you need something specific, you can also get Google to help by saying “Ok Google” from any screen, and any app. For example, if you’re listening to Twenty One Pilots on Spotify, you can say “Ok Google, who’s the lead singer” and get your answer right away.
As you’ve seen across these examples, Google can show you apps from your phone that may help with what you’re doing based on your context—IMDb for movie reviews, OpenTable for reservations, and many more. This is another way developers can get their apps in front of their users at the right moment, when an app is relevant to the task at hand. And best of all, developers don’t need to do anything to integrate with Now on tap as long as they have their
apps indexed by Google
.
We hope Now on tap can make your phone a little bit smarter and help you get things done quicker and in far fewer steps. We’ll be sharing more details about all this as we get closer to the release of Android M.
Posted by Aparna Chennapragada, Director of Product Management
Tweets take flight in the Google app
May 19, 2015
Starting today, we’re bringing Tweets to Google Search on mobile devices. So now when you’re searching on the Google app or any browser on your phone or tablet, you can find real-time content from Twitter right in the search results.
Whether you’re interested in the latest from Taylor Swift, news about the #MadMenFinale, or updates on the NBA playoffs, you’ll have access to it directly from Google. Let’s use NASA as an example—just ask the Google app about “NASA Twitter,” and in the search results, you’ll see Tweets from @NASA:
Or if you heard today was Malcolm X’s birthday, you can ask the Google app and see what various people and organizations in the Twitter community are saying about it.
It’s a great way to get real-time info when something is happening. And it’s another way for organizations and people on Twitter to reach a global audience at the most relevant moments.
To start, we’re launching this on Google.com in English in the Google app (on Android and iOS) and on mobile browsers, rolling out gradually. We’re working on bringing it to more languages and to desktop, so stay tuned.
Posted by Ardan Arac, Senior Product Manager
Cross-posted on the
Official Google Blog
Labels
flight search
images
knowledge graph
local
mobile
quick answers
Search Blog
search quality
search stories
search tips
trends
universal search
webmasters
Archive
2016
Sep
Aug
Jul
Jun
May
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
2015
Dec
Nov
Oct
Sep
Jul
Jun
May
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
2014
Dec
Nov
Oct
Aug
Jul
Jun
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
2013
Dec
Nov
Sep
Aug
Jul
May
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
2012
Dec
Nov
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jul
Jun
May
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
2011
Dec
Nov
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jul
Jun
May
Feed
Google
on
Follow @google
Follow
Give us feedback in our
Product Forums
.
Follow