Google Search (Photo : Reuters)
Android users receive love as Google Search now includes relevant apps to their searches.
Google announced the new search feature on Thursday. Mobile users who try to search for a term will also see relevant apps that they can download. For instance, a user might be prompted to download the Google Maps app if a location term is searched for.
Another nifty feature is that Google will automatically bring up the part the user searched for once the relevant app has been downloaded and opened. For example, if the user searched for New York, the Google Map app will then show the location once it is opened after downloading, according to CNET.
Google Search will not be limited to the Google Play store only. Instead, it will also feature app download dlinks from OpenTable, BuzzFeed, Yelp and Walmart. However, it is limited to Android users only, leaving Apple iPhone and iPad users behind.
The search giant uses its app indexing technology that was first introduced in 2013. It allows Android users to better see the search results for apps that they have installed on their Android smartphones or tablets, according to Android Headlines.
Google is looking to dominate the mobile search market, where its Search business is declining. Google search fell from about 82 percent in 2012 down to 68 percent in 2014 per eMarketer's data.
Part of the reason is that mobile users tend to search inside specific apps instead of using Google Search. For example, a mobile user who wants to search for an eBook will do so using the Amazon app for better results.
Google is not the first to integrate app download links to search results. Yahoo and Facebook have already introduced app discovery to their advertisements. However, the California-based search giant said that the new search feature is not a monetary decision.
