Google is about to make the search app a little bit smarter with a new feature coming to the app called Location Aware Search. If the name didn’t give it away, Search will basically be able to determine your location based on what you’re searching for. Essentially what Google is attempting to achieve with this new feature is allow people the capability to be in front of or near something and perform search queries which end up resulting in the proper/accurate information without telling it the name of what you’re searching for. It will know to give you the correct information based on your location, thus eliminating any need to actually name off what you’re asking about.
Location Aware search may not work for everything of course, but Google’s database of knowledge is pretty vast when it comes to search so presumably it could even give you correct results for searches while you’re near something as simple as your favorite pizza place. Whether or not this is something which is absolutely necessary remains likely unimportant as many users will probably find this to be a cool functionality to have, if not a bit scary. This goes to show just how well Google’s location services really work, and it wouldn’t be too much of a surprise for Google to bake in this kind of capability into other apps. However, it seems almost at its most useful and at home within Search.
The feature seems to be working for some users, and some of the comments a reddit thread seem to state that it functions outside the US. This is just one of the many new things which Search seems to be capable of, with other functions like buying items right from the search results list, (which was discussed and rumored last month) as well as answer search questions with suggestions, basically finishing people’s questions for them and then giving them the answer. If you like the idea of this new Location Aware Search feature, open up the app and test it out for yourself to how well it actually works. You could be pleasantly surprised and fall in love with it.