The Google Android app now remembers offline queries and is able to automatically complete them once it gets reconnected to the Internet, the company revealed on Wednesday. Google’s Product Manager Shekhar Sharad revealed that their developers have recently been hard at work designing a way around unreliable Internet connections. As a result of that effort, they came up with a way for the Google app to save offline searches until a connection to the World Wide Web is available. This allows users to make as many queries as they’d like even if they’re offline and leave the app be until their phone has service again. Once an Internet connection is regained, the Google app will automatically retrieve requested search results and send you a push notification saying that results are ready to be displayed.
The notification will also reveal how many results Google prepared and can be turned off if you’d prefer to check on the app’s progress on your own. Sharad specifically stated how this new feature doesn’t impact battery life and isn’t using a lot of data once the Google app reconnects to the Internet. The latter is possible thanks to the fact that the feature relies on streamlined Search results pages that Google initially introduced in mid-2015. This functionality will make the most out of a spotty Internet connection by providing you with answers to your queries as soon as possible. An example of how this new feature works in action can be seen in the gallery below. The latest addition to the Google app is yet another step in the company’s long-term strategy to better optimize its products for offline use.
Sharad said that the functionality detailed above is only featured in the latest version of the Google app which rolled out on Monday, January 16. The same update also introduces some performance optimizations and adds support for new doodles. Additionally, websites will now open directly in the app and the new iteration of Google’s flagship product also boasts support for offline voice actions, but they are currently available exclusively to users in the United States. You can check whether you’re running the latest version of the Google Android app by following the Google Play Store link below.
