Google now on iOS?

[WelshBloke]

Apparently Google now is available on iOS, anyone tried it?

 

[Red Storm]

Doesn't work with notifications currently, so it only works when you launch it? I'm sure they're working on that, and it's cool to see it ported to iOS. Will try it on the wife's iPhone 5 later tonight.

 

[pm]

I searched on the App Store for "Google Now" and then remembered reading that it's under "Google Search", I downloaded and installed it. Fundamentally it feels like Google Now on Android, except not as easy to get to (I used that swipe up thing all the time on the Nexus). I really can't tell any difference - same fonts, same cards that I saw on my Nexus, same swipe to get rid of them.

 

[WelshBloke]

Sounds good. I'm not a massive user of Google now myself but a lot of people swear by it.

Google seem to have quite a policy of platform independence. That's what I like about chrome, it's pretty much the same experience on my windows PCs as my Linux ones.

 

[bearxor]

I'm not a massive user either, but I fired it up next to my RAZR HD and was almost floored at how much smoother it was working on the iPhone. I didn't have any real complaints about GN from my time using it on the GNex and the RAZR HD, but the fluidity of animations and the speed at which pages are loaded, information is presented, and touch sensitivity is handled made for a stark contrast.

Google seem to have quite a policy of platform independence.

Sure... Microsoft would love it if Google had a great policy of platform independence.

 

[WelshBloke]

I'm not a massive user either, but I fired it up next to my RAZR HD and was almost floored at how much smoother it was working on the iPhone. I didn't have any real complaints about GN from my time using it on the GNex and the RAZR HD, but the fluidity of animations and the speed at which pages are loaded, information is presented, and touch sensitivity is handled made for a stark contrast.

It's pretty instant on my phone. It pulls all the stuff down in the background so it's ready when you need it.

Sure... Microsoft would love it if Google had a great policy of platform independence.

Works fine on my PC.

 

[bearxor]

Doesn't work with notifications currently, so it only works when you launch it?

I don't believe the Google Search app has ever integrated with Notification Center, so hopefully they are working on adding that.

I would just hope that Google embraces Notification Center instead of half-assing it like they're doing on other apps. For example, using the stock mail app, I can turn on/off notifications per account, show how many emails I want to see on the lock screen from each account, decide to show a preview or not, and choose what sound plays.

Gmail, on the other hand, take a very Android approach to notification settings. You can have them, or you can't. You can't selectively choose to get notifications from different Gmail accounts, I can't set a limit on the number of emails notifications I get on the lock screen, I can't set a different notification sound and I can't turn off the preview.

The Notification Center integration, or lack thereof, is the only thing keeping me on using the stock mail app, when I'd much rather be using the Gmail app.

So I hope when notifications are put in for the Google Now, that I can turn on/off notifications on a card basis. Sure, I'd love to know when I need to leave for an appointment, or how bad traffic is when I go to leave work, but I don't really need to know the instant the Spurs win a game. Some people do, and that's why I'm hoping Google will embrace the NC rather than shun it.

 

[pm]

I absolutely loved Google Now on my Nexus. I got rid of the Nexus and went back to an iPhone due to issues with corporate email access, but I also thought that Google Now, and the Android version of Google Maps were my favorite things about Android. While, I'm personally pleased that Google ported both Google Now and their latest Maps app to the iPhone, I'm a little bemused because Google Now was so much my favorite app that I would have jumped on back to Android as soon as corporate email access issue was resolved, and I still have little patience for Apple Maps. Without Google Maps, I'd have been a pretty grumpy iOS user, and now that I have iOS Google Now, and my iPhone is jailbroken, I really am pretty much content.

The iOS version of Google Now doesn't have notifications, it doesn't load in the background and it's clearly not as integrated into iOS as it is on Android but it has all of the key functionality of Google Now for Android and just the fact that I have it on the iPhone takes away one of my strongest reasons for wanting to jump back over the fence to the Android side.

 

[Roland00Address]

Works fine on my PC.

He is referring to win 8 phone, and native metro apps for win 8 computers/tablets

Google is purposefully not creating these so less people go with the newcomer to these markets with windows 8

Same reason Microsoft has not ported office to android or ios

 

[bearxor]

It's pretty instant on my phone. It pulls all the stuff down in the background so it's ready when you need it.

I'm really talking about navigating the cards, flinging them off, or executing a search from the Google Now screen. The RAZR HD isn't really a slouch, it's on par with the SGS3, hardware-wise, and it was consistently lagging behind in terms of UI responsiveness and loading data.

Obviously, opening GN from an Android device is faster, as you can swipe up, but in my (limited, since the app just came out) experience I can tap the Google Search icon and swipe up to GN almost as fast as GN loads from a swipe up on the RAZR HD.

Works fine on my PC.

Well, of course I meant mobile devices, where Google has shunned the Windows Phone platform.

 

[WelshBloke]

I'm really talking about navigating the cards, flinging them off, or executing a search from the Google Now screen. The RAZR HD isn't really a slouch, it's on par with the SGS3, hardware-wise, and it was consistently lagging behind in terms of UI responsiveness and loading data.

Yeah that's what I'm talking about as well. Flinging cards and shuffling them is pretty instantaneous, searching is quick but obviously network dependent.

Well, of course I meant mobile devices, where Google has shunned the Windows Phone platform.

I'm sure if windows phone gets some market share Google will develop for them. Remember it doesn't matter if it's an iOS, Android or Microsoft device Google makes money from their services not their devices. It probably just isn't worth the effort to support windows phones at the moment.

 

[bearxor]

Yeah that's what I'm talking about as well. Flinging cards and shuffling them is pretty instantaneous, searching is quick but obviously network dependent.

In a bubble, I would have never noticed or thought that the performance of the RAZR HD, visually, was sub par. But both device were connected to a 5ghz wifi network.

I'm sure if windows phone gets some market share Google will develop for them. Remember it doesn't matter if it's an iOS, Android or Microsoft device Google makes money from their services not their devices. It probably just isn't worth the effort to support windows phones at the moment.

That's the current line of thinking. But I would have imagined a few million users would have at least warranted a gmail app.

 

[WelshBloke]

In a bubble, I would have never noticed or thought that the performance of the RAZR HD, visually, was sub par. But both device were connected to a 5ghz wifi network.

Maybe, but the Google now app is one of the speedier apps on my phone. Maybe because I don't use it so much, who knows?

That's the current line of thinking. But I would have imagined a few million users would have at least warranted a gmail app.

Obviously not to Google.

 

[Anonemous]

Thanks for the heads up! I love the response and it's very accurate to my voice.