Google continues to roll out features that allow you to perform actions by simply entering commands in the search bar on Chrome for desktop. Earlier this month Google rolled out the “find my phone” feature, which gives users the ability to find their Android smartphone on a map by simply entering “find my phone” in Google Search on the desktop version of Chrome (as long as Android Device Manager is enabled). They followed this, by introducing “send directions“, which brings up a page in search that will send directions to your phone after entering your desired destination and clicking a button.
The latest Google search commands give users the ability to send notes or set alarms on their phone via the desktop. Entering “send a note” into search will bring you to a page where you simply enter your note and select the device you wish to send to; once completed you will receive a notification on your phone containing your note, which you can either copy or save. If save is selected, you can share the note to various apps you have installed. Similarly, “set an alarm” brings up a clock widget that allows you to select the time for the alarm (see below). Once your desired time is chosen, simply send the alarm to you phone and you will receive a toast notification on your device indicating an alarm has been set (the alarm icon will also appear in the status bar, as expected).
From the Omni Bar introduced in Chrome, to supplying relevant cards of information at the top of search via its knowledge graph, to completing math problems and conversions by simply entering them in Omni Bar, one would think Google is starting to run out of ways to improve search. Yet, the novel features that Google has introduced over the past month, indicate in spite of their dominance in the search engine market, revolutionizing search continues to be a major priority for Google. Increasing Search’s functionality and further integrating Chrome with Android to make android user’s lives easier and simpler will undoubtedly help Google maintain that dominance.
To use these new features, you will need the latest version of the Google app for Android, Google Now and notifications need to be enabled, Web & App activity has to be enabled in Google Account History, and you need to be logged into your Google account in Chrome. Although “find my phone” and “send directions” seems to be working perfectly, not everyone is able to send notes or set alarms as yet. Given that Google tends to gradually roll out new features, do not be surprised if some features work and others do not while the roll out continues.