Google I/O is still fresh in our minds, and we’re already starting to see features in betas that we didn’t hear about at the conference. At I/O, Google was focused on things like accessibility in search, and that trend appears to be continuing with these new features that are cropping up. Two of the major ones that have been recently spotted are search sharing and a carousel of recent searches. Both are seemingly only available in the beta versions of Google’s official app at the moment.
Share Search
Not so long ago, LMGTFY became popular. Intended as a sarcastic reply to someone asking a simple question, the site exploded in popularity. Now, Google has sort of mimicked the site by adding the ability to share a link to search results directly. The feature, first spotted by AndroidPolice, is activated when viewing results for a search with a standard share icon appearing at the end of the search bar. Tapping the icon generates a link to the search you’re currently viewing, which can then be sent via whatever platform you wish.
At first glance, the feature seems a little pointless. Indeed, it’s hard to imagine a scenario where sending someone a Google search could prove legitimately useful, but at the very least it’s a small time saver if you want to show people the wealth of options available to them for booking a car, for example. Of course, the other application is as a replacement for LMGTFY. We know Google is a somewhat whimsical company – their former motto “Don’t be evil” has a childish ring to it – so it wouldn’t be particularly surprising to learn that they had included it solely for the purpose of mocking somebody.
Carousel of Recent Searches
Previously Searched has been a part of Google Search for some time now. Start typing in the search bar and alongside suggested searches will be some purple-ish text indicating similar things that you have searched before. Intended to shorten the time spent searching, the feature is something that my forgetful self uses quite a lot. Now Google has added a carousel just below the search bar which shows your most recent searches. Each search is contained in its own pill shaped icon, with a little magnifying glass next to it. At the moment, only local searches are displayed, so if you search something on your PC, it will not show up in recent searches on your mobile device.
Search History Carousel. Source: 9to5Google.com.
This feature is appearing on version 10.7 of the Google Play app, which is the current beta version. According to 9to5Google, it should begin rolling out to the regular app version over the next few days.
Source 1: AndroidPolice
Source 2: 9to5Google
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