Google’s Search App has received a travel-focused update just in time for the holidays. Wednesday’s update adds new capabilities to Google Now, the app’s feature set designed to deliver frequently searched-for information before you even think to search for it.
Previously, opening the Google Search App on any Android phone running Jelly Bean (versions 4.1 and newer), would pull up a Google Now card detailing the weather where you’re standing along with traffic routes to your home and office, sports scores, and package tracking info, among other things. The update adds into the mix new information centered around weather, plane flights and finding things to do in the new locale you’re visiting.
In the updated app, Google Now will still bubble up a card with local weather, but it will now also provide a card detailing the forecast for your upcoming destination about a day before you travel so you can pack and plan correctly. This can serve as a raincoat reminder for those headed to Seattle, or an alert for shorts if you’re vacationing in Melbourne, Australia.
If you’re flying for the holidays, the Search app will pull up a Google Now card with your boarding pass — if you’re flying United Airlines. Additional airlines will be added in coming weeks and months, said in Baris Gultekin, a Google Now product director. This feature, like all Google Now cards, requires a user’s permission to pull flight details from your Gmail account. If permission is granted, the app will serve up cards with restaurant and hotel reservations, translation help, and currency conversions too.
“Our goal is to figure out what the one thing you need right now is, and deliver that to you,” Gultekin told Wired. “A lot of our users need assistance the most when they’re traveling.”
With that in mind, Google Now also will provide suggestions on places to check out once you’ve reached your destination. The Search app already regularly offers recommendations on nearby restaurants and photo-worthy spots, but now it will list events taking place nearby and local websites that may be useful in figuring out what to do.
But not all the updates have to do with travel. The refresh also adds birthday reminders for those you’re connected to on Google+. And Google’s stellar voice assistant, also built into the Search app, received some new tricks today as well. Now, by speaking to the Google Search app, a user can post a text update to Google+, ask what song is playing in the background and launch a barcode scanner to retrieve product info while out shopping.
The updates hit the Google Search app today for Android owners — sorry iOS users.
Google Now Delivers Travel Forecasts, Boarding Passes Before You Search
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Google Now Delivers Travel Forecasts, Boarding Passes Before You Search
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Google Now Delivers Travel Forecasts, Boarding Passes Before You Search
