Google Now On Tap Will Revolutionize The Way You Search on Your Android Smart Phone – What Marketers Need to Know!

Due to the rise of mobile applications and searches, Google’s core product – the web search engine – has slowly been decreasing in popularity. Users are using mobile applications that have no attachment or need for search on the broad web. On Thursday, May 28, 2015, Google demoed a nature feature on its Android OS at its yearly IO conference, which will greatly improve its Internet presence.

What Is Google Now?

Google Now is an intelligent personal assistant developed by Google. It is available within the Google Search mobile application for Androids as well as the Google chrome web browser on personal computers. First launched in July 2012 as an aspect of the Google Search application, Google Now tries to present you with relevant information before you ask for it.

It recognizes repeated actions that a user performs on the device such as common locations, repeated calendar appointment and search queries to display more relevant information to the user.

What Is Now on Tap?

With Now on Tap, Google uses the context of information on your mobile phone screen to provide recommended options for you to complete. To put it simply, it knows what you’re looking at and guesses what you want to know more about. When you tap and hold the home button in Android M, Google will grab information from the application you are using at the moment and Now On Tap will try to give you the right contextual information about what you are looking at in the application.

For example, imagine you receive a text message from your spouse asking if you want to go see a new movie. Now ON Tap will scan the information on your screen and provide you with information such as movie time listings at your local theater, reviews of the movie, and even information about the actors and other movies that they have starred in.

Why It Is Awesome:

On-Demand:

Now on Tap appears in the blink of an eye. You can call it up when ever you want it simply by pushing the home button. Information relevant to your needs will be provided in a timely fashion.

Easily Accessible:

You no longer have to juggle between apps when you’re in need of information. Going back to the movie scenario, when someone asks you if you want to go see a movie, you would usually go to the IMDB app for information about the actors or even Moviefone to see local theater listings. You no longer have to jump from app to app, as the information will appear right in front of you.

Context:

The Now service is basically a dashboard of notifications focused on your life and interests. The On Tap service acts as a plug in that learns from data on your phone. As a result, it will be able to predict what YOU want to know, which will eliminate any information that you might find useless.

Limitations:

Wrong Context:

There is still a chance that the feature will misunderstand the context. For example, imagine you receive an email or text from your spouse asking if you want to see a movie in New York City. On Tap might scan the data regarding your location and provide you with information about directions to the theater instead of information about the movie.

Compatibility:

There is high chance that this service will never make its way to Apple’s iOS. Loyal Apple-product users may be apprehensive about abandoning the company they have followed for years. Thus, Google will be unable to reach a large audience.

Back to the Web

The migration to smartphones from laptop computers has been increasing rapidly. People no longer simply type in a query and get ten blue links as a response; instead, they focus on information provided from their mobile apps. Google Now is doing everything it can to get us all back to the web and make apps obsolete. Google’s VP of Products, Sundar Pichai says that this is really an extension of Google’s overall search strategy and the result of its learning and understanding about the world around them.

This new feature will place Google back into it’s place of dominance because it will enable Google to track, organize and understand its consumer by speaking the common language of apps.

At Kraus Marketing we remain proactive and knowledgeable about new Google trends. When it is released to the public, Kraus Marketing will thoroughly test it and provide more information at that time. If you have any questions, contact us at (973) 998-5742 or visit us online at www.KrausMarketing.com.