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'Google Now' will start using data/info from third-party apps

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G

GK86

Homeland Security Fail
Link. List of supported apps.

Google Inc. doesn’t want to lose its perch atop the search market, and it’s looking to the likes of Airbnb, eBay EBAY -1.78%, Lyft and a couple dozen other companies to help it do just that. On Friday, Google is set to announce that, for the first time, it’s allowing third-party apps to deliver information to Google Now, its predictive search app that’s built into Android phones, Android Wear smartwatches and the Chrome web browser.

Google Now has been seen as the future of Google’s search technology since it launched in 2012—a tool built to deliver frequently searched for information before users ask for it: Traffic for the commute home, sports scores, details on flights and reservations, package shipments, calendar appointments, breaking or popular news stories, and the weather. Until today, all of this data came directly from a user’s Google account—what they searched for on Google.com and bits of relevant data scraped from their Gmail accounts.

The predictive search results show up in Google’s namesake search app as Google Now “cards” — digital cards just big enough to contain the quickly consumable information a user is looking for (the five-day forecast, a breaking news headline, etc.) – that are presented as a feed of must-have information.

Starting today, Google Now is formally opened up to a select group of more than 30 third-party apps each of which will feed data into Now cards. A user will only see these new Now cards if they have the related non-Google app installed on their phone.

For example, if a person has both the updated Google app (it’s rolling out to Android users first, starting today) and the Airbnb app downloaded on their phone or tablet, Airbnb will feed into Google Now the listings a person has searched for and what dates they were looking at booking a property. The information will show up as a Now card asking the user if they want to book the place they were looking at, a few days before the potential rental dates.

Google told the Journal that the changes will result in more than 40 new cards being available to users, and that no user data from Google Now itself (such as what stock or sports teams a user follows) will be shared with third-parties in the process.

Some of the new third-party Now cards will be triggered by location, but Google won’t share a user’s location in such an event. However, once a user taps on any third-party Now card, they’re launched into that non-Google app, and that company’s data collection begins just as it does any time that specific app is used normally.

The move to bring third parties into Google Now is aimed at making to tool more useful, and thus more popular among users. But it will also bring to Google Now, for the first time, prompts to spend money. For now, Google is not charging the third-party providers for the referral traffic.

Other examples: Ride-sharing firm Lyft will push a Now card to those who arrive at an airport, anticipating that they’ll be looking for a ride home. EBay will shoot over reminders on items a user has bid on. Kayak will let people know when prices on previously searched for flights have dropped. Zillow will let you know when new listings show up in markets you’re thinking of buying a home in. Each of these new Now cards are more than predicting search results—they’re predicting and facilitating purchases.

Google Now is making a formal media play, too. The Economist will be able to send users Now cards with links to new stories and the Guardian will be able to do the same with recipes. Shazam, the music discovery app recently valued at over $1 billion, will remind users of songs they’ve recently heard in their app.

All of these third-party app integrations are optional for Google Now users. In order for any of it to work, a user has to have a related third-party app downloaded to their phone, and they will have to have given permission to Google Now to use data from third-party apps, which can be found in Google Now’s “Web & App Activity” settings.

Ultimately, Google envisions a world in which you don’t need to go to its search box. “Maybe you don’t want to ask a question; maybe you want to just have it answered for you before you ask it,” Larry Page, Google’s CEO and co-founder, said speaking at a summer conference last year.

Some companies that plan to integrate their services with Google Now will have to balance the desire to reach those users with concerns about what data may be too private to share with Google, according to a person at one company that works closely with Google.
Click to expand...
 
C

Cipherr

Member
Prescription refill popups, bill pay popups, home automation cards and whatnot are clearly going to happen in the future. 3rd party interaction is the first step towards that.
 
S

SimleuqiR

Member
nexus2cee_movies.gif


Gets better and better.
 
G

GtwoK

Member
I like Google's implementation of it (ie, you recently searched on your computer for _____ restaurant, when you go on your phone later suddenly theres a Now card telling you how long it'll take to get there, and offering directions), but I don't understand what advantage these new third party cards will offer over a notification. Reminding you of an item you bid on on eBay? The eBay app already does that through notifications. Why does it need to do it in a card as well?

Admiral Woofington said:
Until Google Now can search for specific songs in your library without third party tweaks I won't be impressed.
Click to expand...

It...can? Mine does.
 
S

Sch1sm

Member
Admiral Woofington said:
Until Google Now can search for specific songs in your library without third party tweaks I won't be impressed.
Click to expand...

Go into your google settings > Search & Now > Phone search > make sure Play Music is checked off. If you don't see it even with that check there, it's probably just being bumped down by search results. Hit back, it'll show up, lol.

Screenshot_2015-01-30-20-22-04.png
Click to expand...
Screenshot_2015-01-30-20-22-10.png
Click to expand...

ArmouredTitan said:
Please just let me block news sources like KpopStarz and ChristianToday
Click to expand...

Considering you don't get bombarded with sports scores you don't want to see
or sports at all, if you're like kehs
, why would they put you through that?
 
L

Laekon

Member
These just seem like ads. Sounds like searching for boots on Zappos and then seeing adds for them on every site you visit for the next week. The Lyft part isn't very functional unless they have your gps location or itinerary.
 
Ephemeris

Ephemeris

Member
Very very nice. I use Google now on a daily basis. However, sometimes I have information overload (especially when paired with my Android Wear Watch). May have to cut down on some of the cards.
 
C

Cipherr

Member
Laekon said:
These just seem like ads. Sounds like searching for boots on Zappos and then seeing adds for them on every site you visit for the next week. The Lyft part isn't very functional unless they have your gps location or itinerary.
Click to expand...

Thats a terrible example. Its more like ordering boots on Zappos and getting a notification that another store you have shopped at in the past has the exact same pair and the exact same boots at a lower price.

And GPS does function in Google now, thats how it knows to show you your flight information/pass when you get to the airport.

In any case, each individual card is controllable. You simply disable a type of card if you don't want it.

PG2G said:
So... Google Now has turned into a notification center
Click to expand...

Yep, except contextual in many cases. Im sure it crossed that threshold when I started getting tracking information for stuff I ordered online in cards, or reminder release dates for games I spent a lot of time researching, reading reviews and watching videos of.
 
A

Admiral Woofington

Member
GtwoK said:
It...can? Mine does.
Click to expand...

Sch1sm said:
Go into your google settings > Search & Now > Phone search > make sure Play Music is checked off. If you don't see it even with that check there, it's probably just being bumped down by search results. Hit back, it'll show up, lol.
Click to expand...
Cipherr said:
Its been able to do that forever.
Click to expand...

Should have been clearer: it does it but it isn't the priority 100% of the time when you voice search. Sometimes it decides to show you results to purchase said artist music. It's not as intuitive as other voice search offerings. The grand majority of times it decides to give me search results over playing the artist/song. I've had to install other apps, such as Tasker and AutoApps to get it to override google now's desire to force me to search results and so it plays songs/artists with ease, and even then you have to be so specific such as "play X on Y".

It can do play some stuff by itself on vanilla but sometimes I'd ask it to play say a podcast and it would refuse to do so.
 
R

Remark

Banned
Google Now is goat for tracking.

Shows up right there. Dont even need an app for tracking. Fucking beautiful
 
S

Sch1sm

Member
Admiral Woofington said:
Should have been clearer: it does it but it isn't the priority 100% of the time when you voice search. Sometimes it decides to show you results to purchase said artist music. It's not as intuitive as other voice search offerings. The grand majority of times it decides to give me search results over playing the artist/song. I've had to install other apps, such as Tasker and AutoApps to get it to override google now's desire to force me to search results and so it plays songs/artists with ease, and even then you have to be so specific such as "play X on Y".

It can do play some stuff by itself on vanilla but sometimes I'd ask it to play say a podcast and it would refuse to do so.
Click to expand...

All you have to say to it is "OK Google, play [insert song name]." Not sure what you're getting at there.
 
S

Sch1sm

Member
RobotHaus said:
What app is this drawing info from?
Click to expand...

Judging by the start, it isn't drawing from one. Just go, "OK Google, show me Angelina Jolie movies," they'll repeat the 2 or 3 most recent movies. When you tap "see all" then choose a film, all that shows up.
 
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