The great thing about having a smartphone in your pocket is that you’ve got access to an endless amount of information with just a few taps. The frustrating thing, at times, is the fact that all of this information isn’t always in the same place. The latest update to Google Search for Android seeks to solve that problem, or at least take the first steps in that direction. This new update integrates app information right there with your search results, allowing you to jump from a results page to an app to find additional details.
The example Google offers is pretty straightforward. Imagine you’re looking for information on a Christmas movie you watched long ago. If you perform a Google search for the movie and happen to have IMDB’s app installed, you’ll be presented with the option to open the app and view the IMDB listing for that movie. Not bad at all, especially if the search results don’t offer all of the information you need at a glance.
Not only can you now jump between search results and apps, but you can also install apps on your mobile device straight from a Google search. Performing a search for something like “downhill skiing apps” will populate the results with a list of apps that are relevant to the search. The apps are pulled straight from Google Play and have download buttons right there in the results, so there’s no real need to visit the app’s store listing unless you’re looking for more information. This seems especially handy, if only because it can be somewhat difficult to find apps on Google Play when you’re only doing a general search and don’t have a specific one in mind.
These features are hitting Android as we speak, and according to Google, this is only the beginning. “This is just one step toward bringing apps and the web together, making it even easier to get the right information, regardless of where it’s located,” writes Google VP of Engineering Scott Huffman. There are only a “select” number of apps compatible with this feature at the moment, but Google says it’ll be working with other developers over the next few months to bring new app integration online.