Google has finally taken the cool but creepy Google Now application and put it on a non-Android platform. Starting today, iOS users can download an update to the Google Search app that adds some of the amazing functions of Google predictive personal assistant.
What is Google Now anyway, you ask? It’s a system where Google’s various services tie together across devices and learn your habits. Creepy sounding, yes, but it’s rather helpful. Have a flight in your calendar? There will be a card in Google Now reminding you, plus the route to the airport and maybe even the weather where you land. In my own case, constant reviewing of Android phones led to me turning on my non-GPS enabled tablet to see a reminder that work was in 20 minutes and the route with traffic.
Not every aspect of Google Now is coming in iOS, of course. There’s no system-wide integration or (more annoyingly) notifications. There are also seven of Google Now’s twenty-nine cards left out of the iOS deck:
- Activity Summary
- Boarding Pass
- Concerts
- Events
- Fandango
- Nearby Events
- Zillow
While Fandango and Zillow have stand-alone iOS apps, the Concerts and Nearby Events functionality is something that will be missed. It’s possible that these could come to Google Now for iOS with later updates, but no one is talking.
If you were someone who found Siri exciting, download and prepare to be blown away by a virtual assistant that can actually anticipate.
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