The Google Now iOS app received a major update on Tuesday, bringing the feature set of the personal assistant app in line with its Android offering, reports The Verge. Notifications and reminders head the list of new additions as well as new cards and voice commands.
Launched in April 2013, the iOS Google Now app lacked features compared to its Android equivalent, primarily in the notification and reminder systems. However, the majority of these concerns have been addressed, with functionality becoming almost identical on both platforms. Context-sensitive notifications are now fully implemented in the iOS version and significantly improve the overall functionality and usefulness of the app. Although available on the Android equivalent for some time, notifications were missing from the App Store version and iOS users had to manually input search requests to retrieve relevant information.
Context-Sensitive Notifications
With the new update, the app will also automatically notify the user of information it thinks is relevant, based on time or location. The Verge highlights an example of a morning notification that informs the user of an upcoming appointment or flight delay. Also new to reminders is the option to set up news-related notifications. This way, alerts can be set to display when news is released on a particular subject or when an album by a favored artist is released. Reminders can also be set using voice commands, similar to existing functionality offered by Siri on the iPhone and iPad. The voice command system has also been updated to aid hands-free operation, whereby users are able to communicate with the app by simply saying “OK, Google,” and asking a question.
New Cards
A selection of new cards, the panels used to display information, allow users to quickly access event tickets, boarding passes, transit information, and car hire reservations. As suggested by TechRadar, these complement the new notification system: for example, they could notify users of the time of the last train home. The user interface has also seen a series of upgrades, including a simplified home screen.
Android Updates Imminent
It is worth noting that Google Now is due to receive further updates to its Android app as part of the 4.4 KitKat OS update. Speaking to The Verge, Google’s Android Chief Sundar Pichai recently expressed a desire to bring “apps and the web together.” To develop this tighter app integration, Google Now will include content from installed apps in its search operations. Other upcoming features include more accurate speech recognition with a more conversational functionality, allowing users to specify more detailed requests. Whether or not the iOS version will also receive the new features remains to be seen. However, Apple’s historically strict policies on cross-app integration may render such features difficult to implement, if not impossible.
The update is now live on the App Store. Do you use Now on Android or iOS, or will these new features inspire you to give it a try?
Image courtesy of Flickr
[cf]skyword_tracking_tag[/cf]