Searching on an iPhone can be fun

Thursday, July 10, 2008 | 9:51 AM



You probably agree that nothing can be made too easy. We've been dreaming of ways to make searching on phones easier and more fun.

Today, we're showing off our first native app for the iPhone and iPod touch -- Google Mobile App. It combines powerful Google services with a slick interface, so you can find what you're looking for faster and more easily.

Google Mobile App gives you a single text box to search through your contacts and the web. As soon as you start typing, it scours Google for things to help you. These could be typing suggestions, website suggestions or easy access to a search you made before. Google Mobile App even searches as you type so that you see results as soon as you finish typing. Over time, the App remembers the things you do most and puts them at the top. Finally, Google Mobile App also uses the My Location feature to detect your current location and show nearby businesses on a map.

If you use other Google mobile products you'll find them through the "Explore more" button - all in one place.

Watch this video to see Google Mobile App in action.



To get Google Mobile App, tap the App Store icon on your iPhone, or open iTunes, and search for 'Google Mobile'. You need to have the latest iPhone software update to see the App Store. Google Mobile App is currently only available in the US App Store, but will be available in other countries very soon.

85 comments:

Mickey said...

It looks very nice! Can we expect more Google apps soon (please)? I thought we might see gmail, calendar, reader, etc. Anytime soon?

Romkin said...

This comment has been removed by the author.

Troy said...

I would really like to see a Google Reader and a Blogger application native for the iPhone.

William Bonnaud Dowell said...

Hi! You sound like you're British! How about Google adds this to the UK App store?!

Mario said...

I also hope that the app is featured soon in the rest of the stores. I was very dissapointed not to see it in the Mexican store, since most of my web life revolves around Google services.

Unknown said...

Hi, can we expect google app on the Swiss store soon ? please pretty please ? ^^

jan said...

for me this is most useless app so far. even more useless than the 3 flashlight apps.
why google need to put their search slot in an own app? it's not about usability it's just about taking screen property on the phone.
Google could as well just detect iphone user agent and show a page optimized for the iphone. i guess they already do that.
people will only install an limited amount of apps on their phone just like you put a limited amount of icons on your desktop or notebook screen.
I do not want every website to develop their own app, that's what they have a browser for, specially a simple page like google.

Ludwig said...

@jan a browser based tool isn't going to have access to your phone contacts or phone's location.

allmoney.ws said...

I would like to sync iPhone contacts with Gmail Contacts. It will be cool feature!

philippe said...

not in App Store :(

Spencer said...

Looking forward to a Google Reader native app soon!

Jérôme said...

@allmoney.ws: This will be possible through the native iPhone OS 2.0. Great news, huh? :)

RacZo said...

Sweet! I cannot wait to put my fingers on it!

Leon said...

It would be great if Google could say why this free application is not widely available in all the App Stores. Is it not all one big internet?

MicEdwards said...

It makes no sense to me why this isn't in "every" AppStore ... PLEASE EXPLAIN???

Unknown said...

Very poor for canadien... again :-(
The poorless thechnophile on the world.

Unknown said...

Even though I haven't got iphone yet, I really consider and make sure that i would have to install this app soon after I got my new iphone

Google and me and my daily are jut bounded tightly

Steve Litchfield said...

When oh WHEN is GPS/location support going to be added to the existing Google Search app for S60?? *Please*!

Unknown said...

I can't wait till this comes out in the UK!

adszhu said...

Jan: I suppose we should look at this app as the Google Desktop for iPhone. This should integrate the Google search engine, the local resources and the web

adszhu said...

Would it make sense to extend the search to the personal Google feeds, too? I mean the personal Gmail, Google Calendar, Google docs, Blogger, Picasa, etc?

adszhu said...

... and both the feeds of Reader and My Maps, pls :)

tcloer said...

Bring this to the German App Store ASAP, PLEASE!!!

sbrinkmann said...

Nice, but not to find in the german itunes store and as a german client I cannot switch to the US-Shop. Google, please be so kind to add your App to the international stores also!

2bike4 said...

Thanks for offering this. I like the way it integrates the contacts and the web search.

I know many users who would like to have this app also search the calendar on the iphone too.

Thanks again.

Stephen

vectr said...

UK App Store please... do you read comments? Do you respond?

Ryan said...

I would like to see Google MAIL offering PUSH email :P I seriously can't be bothered to use my .Mac email. I mainly uses .Mac well MobileMe to sync my iCal, Address Book and Bookmarks across my macs and ipod touch.

tmn said...

Why isn't the Google Mobile app available worldwide? Should'nt it be distributed all over the world.

I would like to have it in the Norwegian Store.

Steve Litchfield said...

Er... GMail *already* offers push email - that's what IMAP is! Once set up, it stays connected in the background and beeps you when new email arrives.

The DataDude said...

The notable thing about this app is its ability to search both the web AND the Contacts on your iPhone. However, after extensive testing with this app it appears that it cannot search the Notes field in Contacts. Unfortunately this is also true when searching directly within the Contacts app.

When will Google (or Apple!) give us a way to search ALL data on our iPhones?

Unknown said...

Why all the love for the iPhone and none for Windows Mobile or the S60 platforms? Is it just the media popularity contest thing again?

John said...

This doesn't seem to be available in the NZ App store either. Is there an ETA for a wider release?

Carlos Iriarte said...

Mexican store please!

Unknown said...

Still nothing in the UK IPhone Store...

pierce said...

Not in the Australian AppStore either!

Brian said...

Yes, I'd love to see more native apps for the iPhone! Gmail + Calendar are my digital bread and butter.

Alternately, protocol that would let Google use "Push" to move Calendar and Mail content to my phone would be clutch.

My iPhone hungers for Google. :)

Alain said...

And not in the France store either... :(

Dosjon said...

I really like this app, can I make a suggestion? It would be wonderful if it searched all the places I've saved to My Maps on Google Maps. I've spent a lot of time building a map there and would love a way to access all that info on my iPhone. (I've found a few other people on the discussion boards who feel the same way.) Thanks for making this app, and I hope to see that feature soon!

Unknown said...

amazing all this but it doesn't search inside my emails?

I think that for this application to be useful it should also look inside you iphone calendar , mails, etc

it looks nice and has lots of potential...

D. Quail (expat) said...

I'm looking forward to the UK app store, please make it happen soon G-Man. That will tide me over until the Androids start arriving anyway...

Malekum said...

Hello,

Please make it available on your new PSP Google Search too !!!

Unknown said...

Yeah why doesn't it search Mail and Calendar too? Mail really needs search! I was going to write this as an app, search for mail, ical, contacts.. but a friend at Apple said read the developer agreement. It states that you can't augment the built-in apps. But here, Google has basically done that with Contacts, even though Contacts now supports basic search itself.

Unknown said...

Really disappointed that this is only in the US store :(

Kaleb Coleman said...

Is there any hope for a blogger app soon? I certainly hope so. I would even pay money for it, it would make my life a lot easier!!!

Babozor said...

"Google Mobile App is currently only available in the US App Store, but will be available in other countries very soon"
Damn... why not available on all countries (even in english we don't care) on the same day???

Carlos Martins said...

We're still waiting...
(international users)

MickoD said...

Still waiting here in Ireland too!

santiromero said...

same here in Spain.. this does not make sense at all, does it.

davidbayles said...

Please, please, please, native Gmail and Google Reader soon...

Brad said...

I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to see some more native iPhone apps from you guys. Calendar and Reader would be HUGE.

Anonymous said...

UK UK UK Please please give us the App you only have to change Trash to Wastebin ol

Unknown said...

Still waiting up here in Canada, too. WTF is up with *Canada* not getting it? We're practically American, anway...

Jono said...

Thanks, I really like this.

Please add searching iPhone's bookmarks as well as contacts & the web.

mafo said...

we are still waiting for international apps from google in app store, please.

darth said...

Ok, I was one of those skeptics who wondered what the big deal was about this app-after all, you still need an internet connection, and Google on mobile Safari works well, so...

But I downloaded it from the Apps Store, and all I can say is...its what I'm using from now on :D Thanks!

Unknown said...

Google iPhone app looks great!
iTunes store Netherlands please.
Thanks!

sbrinkmann said...

Still no Google Apps in the German iTunes Store. Does Google want to translate them or does Apple takes to much time to give this app free?

Unknown said...

This looks like such a handy app. Too bad google's view of the world only includes the US. Even here in Canada we don't get this app.

KC said...

this app looks very nice. why isn't it available in Hong Kong store. There are lot of people in Hong Kong using iPhone!!!!!!!

Benoît said...

@Steve Litchfield
GMail does support IMAP but does not support PUSH.

Unfortunately, GMail does not yet implement the IDLE feature of the IMAP protocol, which is needed for true Push e-mail.

I can't wait for true GMail push on my iphone!

Unknown said...

With this app, is Google now showing "WAP search ads" or is everything still via the web?

JGF said...

I need to be able to load multiple instances of this app on the iPhone -- one for my jfaughnan identity, one for the Google Apps family domain, one for kateva.org google apps, etc.

Please add multi-Google App support!

This is a wonderful start for a great future.

Unknown said...

Searching the contents of my calendar as well as all the fields in contacts is critical for me (3-5 times a day for past info). All the smart phones search all contents or specific categories for any word you enter. This is an immense oversight on apples part. I'm shocked that Google would also miss this one.

Bill Highstreet

Trail of Words said...

I love it, but what I can't figure out is why the search results (not the quick hits, but the ones you get after clicking "Search") aren't optimized for the iPhone. I was hoping I wouldn't have to tap and zoom in on things as I do when searching via Safari.

Per-Erik Broz said...

Put it on the Norwegian store please. And give us push! Please dear google please :)

cnsxxx09 said...

This app has been out for nearly a a month now, and it is still not available in the German (or other?) stores. Why not? There are many more countries in the world than the USA. Even if you cannot commit on a date, at least mention that this is only available in the US store (save people fruitlessly searching & getting frustrated) and explain the reasons why it is not yet available elsewhere. Is that too much to ask for?

Anonymous said...

Norwegian store still does not have this app :(

cnsxxx09 said...

Well, at least Google took the advice and now say that "Google Mobile App is currently only available in the US App Store" - but now I can happily report that it is available in the German store, so you need to update your message! :-)

J-F. Henrotte said...

Why it is possible in ITS France and it's not possible in ITS Belgium?

Umberto said...

I don't find it in the Swiss store. Any news?

Umberto

Anonymous said...

nana in Singapore too!

Gladie said...

this app really has a lot of potential, but it doesn't appear to do a thorough job of searching all my contact book. for example, it might pick up some people w/ the last name jones, but not others. why?

also, it'd be great if it seached any/all fields in the address book (and calendar for that matter) or if this was at least an option. it would be great, for example, to determine if a phone number is already in your address book or to look up data from the note field.

ideal: let it search the whole phone (i.e. spotlight for iphone). that would rule.

Unknown said...

I am in Belgium.
We speak French like in France.
Therefore why this app is not available in the Belgian store?

That's such a pity. No way to use it, while no good reason not to have it available.

Google dudes, please try to make it available for us too.

Thanks,

Jon

Anonymous said...

Any chance to enabled also searching for calendar items ?
It would be fantastic, now calendar's iPhone does not have this IMPORTANT feature.
Please !

Unknown said...

Not in the Hungarian store. Why?

cnsxxx09 said...

I too was excited about a Google iPhone app and disappointed that (at first) it was only available in the US. But, now I have it, I don't use it (I just end up using Safari - links are opened in Safari anyway) - so don't get too excited about it not yet being available in your store.

corrugated iron said...

I just wonder, with android out, is native iphone development dead for google? it really would be a pity.


please, do continue with it

adszhu said...

I assume Android has long been in progress when Google released the iPhone app, so i do hope they go on developing cool apps for iPhone

Unknown said...

to respond to Steve Litchfield, Gmail does NOT have PUSH email for the iPhone. it uses IMAP which fetches mail every 15 minutes. PUSH sends an email directly to the device, such as the iPhone or DARE or whatever mobile device. MobileMe has PUSH email as does Yahoo! Yahoo! is also free, which is interesting, because if they can do it, why can't Gmail. It is the one thing I really don't like about Gmail. How can Google not yet have Push? I just don't get it. They are on the top of everything else, but still no Push......!?

Amy Rogers said...

I thought that Push email was now available for the iphone? It is already available for the new Blackberry Storm, so I would assume it was out for the iphone by now.

[k06a] said...

i hope, it will be avaliable in Russian App Store . . .

Unknown said...

Is it very necessary to have a itune account to download this app?

Penny said...

If it's on Hong Kong AppStore then it would be perfect!

mackozer said...

Why it is not available in Polish App Store??

What is wrong with using Google Mobile App in Poland?

Unknown said...

"will be available in other countries very soon"?

What it exactly means? Year, two, or ten? I know that today is bad time and lot of work waiting. But publish application to other stores is no work and now it is more than few months from first release in US App Store.