Those of you running Android 6.0 or higher, have Google Now on Tap, which debuted with Marshmallow last year. It was once thought of as Google Now on steroids. A long-press of the home button would bring up information found on the screen. For example, if you are on a page talking about Google WiFi (like this one), Google Now on Tap would give you more information about what you’re seeing on the screen. Another useful feature in the screen search was the ability to easily take a screenshot. This feature was actually really useful. Not only because the screenshot would take out the navigation bar, but it would also automatically open the share menu and then delete the screenshot once you shared it. Making it easy to take a screenshot and share it with others.
Well now, that screenshot function appears to be gone. It doesn’t appear to have disappeared in an update to the Google app either, as some users are still seeing it, while many others are not. It’s possible that the search giant is testing something here with a handful of users. Or that something else is coming into replace it. But for now, it appears to be gone for many users. It was perhaps the most useful part of Google Now on Tap or Screen Search. So hopefully it will make its way back in the near future.
Google Now on Tap has now been replaced, sort of, with the Google Assistant. Although Google Assistant will only be available on the Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones and not all Android-powered smartphones. But now when you long-press the home button, you are sent into the Google Assistant, instead of Google Now on Tap. Now, it is still there, but it’s just taking a bit of a backseat to the Google Assistant, which appears to be much more useful than Google Now and Google Now on Tap were. Which is definitely a good thing, as Google has progressed with their artificial intelligence, as they should.
Hopefully Google will bring back the screenshot feature to Google Now on Tap, but as for now, it appears to be disappearing.