12 ms·

Google Now on your iPhone and iPad

329 points by nreece 13y ago

enginous 13y ago
Again I run into the issue that Google doesn't seem to release their iPhone apps internationally. I'm in Europe (Iceland, specifically) and I can't download the Google Search or Google Authenticator apps because they're not available in our App Store. Does this happen to people in any other European countries?
- jvzr 13y ago
  It is available in France, but yet again France is one of the "bigger" markets. Couldn't you get access to the UK's or Ireland's store? All you need is a voucher card and a fresh email address. That's how I got my US account for US-exclusive apps.
- sorich87 13y ago
  I'm not in Europe but they (+ Google Maps) are not available in our App Store.
- deleted 13y ago
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lawdawg 13y ago
Glad to see this coming to iOS, the more users, the more feedback Google will get on how to improve the service for everyone. Hope Apple can try their hand at creating some cross platform applications as well.
- tambourine_man 13y ago
  Hope Apple can try their hand at creating some cross platform applications as well. iTunes? QuickTime?
  - talisMal 13y ago
    Never on Linux, not on Android, nor has Apple shown any indication of supporting Windows RT. If anything, Apple's abandonment of Safari for Windows indicates that they can't wait to support their platform solely. Even their retail store app, which is used to sell hardware products as little downside of being cross-platform, is iOS only. That's just cutting off your nose to spite your face behavior we've come to expect from Apple.
    - pullo 13y ago
      With google forking webkit, it will be good to have safari back on windows. I could not understand their decision to quit safari development on windows. Integrate and share data between a good safari desktop browser on windows and an iDevice would be nice.
    - alayne 13y ago
      Where's Internet Explorer and Office 2013 for OS X? Which significant Microsoft apps run on iOS? Obviously it makes sense for Google to get its advertising hooks everywhere it can, but I don't see Apple and Microsoft having the same cross-platform incentives at all.
  - evilduck 13y ago
    They had Safari for Windows and dropped it. And iTunes and Quicktime both run considerably worse in Windows compared to OSX (besides looking out of place).
  - smackfu 13y ago
    I think that's the entire list.
stylo 13y ago
I honestly did not expect to see Google Now on iDevices. For me it is definitely the "killer app" on my Android phone.
- Nemisis7654 13y ago
  I was surprised at first, but as I thought about it more, it makes sense. Google wants to have you using Google's services. Whether that's on iOS or Android, they probably could not care less. The larger the audience, the more their services get used.
- k-mcgrady 13y ago
  I used to think that but lately I've been considering switching to Android. Google Now is one of the reasons. Giving me the opportunity to really try it might make be switch now. I think it's because Google Now isn't the kind of feature you can just test in the shop and make a decision on. It requires actual use to know if you like it.
  - dodecaphonic 13y ago
    I had the opportunity to use it for a few weeks at work, when developing and Android app, and made the jump from the iPhone to a Nexus 4. Google Now is incredible. Last week I went to another city for a family funeral and the next day it was showing traffic to the place I slept, sights to see, etc. This weekend I was walking around town and a card showed up with movie times. It's little things that wow you and actually turn out to be useful. The Android experience is very good now, but I would be lying if I said that app quality is nearly as high, especially in things like photography and audio. That still makes me think about whether my commitment is long-term.
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fratis 13y ago
I have a question for our Android-using brethren who've had the opportunity to play with Now. I've read a bit about it over the past few weeks, and I've been excited about a port to iOS, but now that I have it, I'm not sure how or if it'll fit into my life day-to-day. At first brush, all I see is a weather widget. I know there's more to it, but where exactly does the magic happen? What have you done (if anything) to maximize its value?
- stevejalim 13y ago
  Set a work and home location so that it knows when you really are out and about. Start using G+ if you don't already (eg I got a birthday alert for someone yesterday, via Now, via G+). Set some data in other google applications (Calendar, Finance, etc). All roads lead to Now. (Well, some do)
  - VLM 13y ago
    Imagine how useful intelligently feeding google reader data into Now would be... oh wait, whoops. Aside from whining about Reader being cancelled I am serious that sniffing relevant RSS feeds would be a highly useful feature to add. I've had it for a few months on my Nexus 7. In summary its travel and shopping push notifications. I had the usual intense short lived "oh that's really cool" reaction and haven't used it since then and its had no measurable impact on my life. Kinda like my relationship with facebook and linkedin and twitter. In the eternal wheel of IT, where nothing is ever really invented, merely recycled every couple years, this is the reincarnation of the pointcast internet screensaver app from the mid 90s. Back then the complaint was it was spammy and didn't provide real value, so after a similar intense publicity wave quieted, they dried up and blew away with the wind, until now (literally, "Now", get the pun? Yeah well bad pun; bad puns never really go away just get recycled later...)
    - alec 13y ago
      I don't think it would be very useful to have RSS feeds in Google Now. I like Google Now because it tells me what I want to know right now, like that my flight is delayed or traffic is bad or here's how to get to that restaurant and you need to leave in 15 minutes. I don't want to know about a new article right now.
adlpz 13y ago
Well, I hate to admit it, because I am an ex-iOS user that ran away from it because of the closed ecosystem, but seeing that it keeps aggregating the absolute best applications, even from Google, and with the goodness everyone feels is coming from the Ive-influenced iOS 7, I might have to fall back into the walled garden. Apple is really good at this stuff.
- mehta 13y ago
  Not sure what you mean by "absolute best applications" since the app on ios is fundamentally limited by the APIs that are provided by the OS. I agree that ios has some of the better apps but I don't think presence of Google Now on ios is better then that on Android.
  - rmrfrmrf 13y ago
    If your definition of a great app is one that has unfettered access to your OS, uh... well, good for you, I guess. Enjoy your MIDI-playing personal USB fan on your Android phone--I'll just be over here getting actual work done.
    - pfg 13y ago
      What makes you think Android apps have unfettered access to the OS? Android's sandbox and permission system is pretty sophisticated and whenever you want install an app you can see exactly what it's allowed to do and then decide whether you actually want to install it. Are you saying you can't get work done unless some third party makes those decisions for you?
  - smith7018 13y ago
    As someone who has used all three major platforms extensively, I think I could shed some light on this. iOS has the "absolute best apps" because of the level of polish, design, and near-pixel-perfect elements visible in the apps. I've used Android for years (SGS2 and Nexus 7) and many of the apps are poorly designed and have even poorer implementations. Many of them feel like they are just 5 standard UI widgets put together on the screen is just bland. This can be seen by how many Android applications use Holo but don't try to give it their own personality. Small changes to the UI can lead to a personalized and tailored/polished feel (Starbuck's green standard navbar, Netflix's logo on their own red navbar, etc). Also, iOS apps seem to experiment more with gestures and UX concepts. Using apps like Clear, Google Maps, Haze, etc. really shows you how well thought out an app could be. It just seems like many of Android's apps look the exact same and lack that attention to detail, I guess. Also, please remember that "more powerful" doesn't correlate to "best." I would rate Clear much, much higher than most Android apps. While it doesn't allows me to access the root filesystem, overclock the CPU, or alter the boot image, it's extremely intuitive, attractive, and works beautifully.
kenjackson 13y ago
If I have to launch the app is it really Google Now? Or do I not need to launch the app?
- speg 13y ago
  I'm trying to figure out. I'm assuming it has to use Notifications? update: does not use notifications :(
  - calebegg 13y ago
    How does it work on Android? Does it use notifications there?
    - jonknee 13y ago
      Yes, but Android doesn't also have strict limitations of what an app can do in the background.
    - jeffasinger 13y ago
      Yes, it puts some cards in the notification center on Android. However, Android push is significantly more flexible than iOS push, if you push information to an iOS app, that information must appear as a notification, and the app can't process it until the user opens the notification.
    - myko 13y ago
      Yes. When something Google Now finds relevant is available it creates a low priority notification that the user will see when checking the notification pane.
    - jsnell 13y ago
      It uses a bunch of different kinds of interaction: - A normal home screen widget - A lock screen widget - A special "drag up from the home button" gesture that can be triggered from any app - Rich notifications. (As in you can trigger useful actions straight from the notification. E.g. for an event that's starting soon, you can email all participants.)
kailuowang 13y ago
I've used personal assistant like products before. But google now is the only one I keep going back to. Personal context is critical for a working personal assistant - you need to know the whereabout, the calendar, the habit, the preferences about everything. That's the power of Google streamline of products. Google better not be evil.
- dpcx 13y ago
  > Google better not be evil. Given their history, that's an awful big statement to make.
  - Kiro 13y ago
    Who thinks Google is evil?
    - sbuk 13y ago
      I do. They are the proverbial sheep in wolves clothing IMHO. It's why I choose not to use their products. Unlike many though, I have no issue with anyone else using their products. Google Now seem like a cool product, but for me the cost is far too high.
    - youngerdryas 13y ago
      Google is a business. They can remain non-evil as long as their balance sheet holds up. Downside could be massive.
- Samuel_Michon 13y ago
  Don’t worry, your personal information is safe with Google. It’s a company that makes all of its profits from selling advertising, surely that has nothing to do with you.
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zmanian 13y ago
I'm a bit surprised that the iphone version of Google Now beat the Chrome version of Google Now. In my mind, Google Now is about carving out a space on devices where they can actually show high value contextual advertising outside of search. Their pitch to advertisers will be much stronger if they have a foothold on every device. I'm also surprised that this was released before Google I/O. Between near confirmation that Android will be 4.3, and the string of major product releases of the last couple of months, it looks like any major announcements will have to come from left field. The Google X people have been dropping hints about some sort of Control Systems thing....
- samwillis 13y ago
  Chrome Dev channel has a new 'New Tab' design that is moving towards something that could easily become google now. It has its own search box and looks a little like the google homepage. If there was going to be "google chrome now" its the place for it.
- pavanky 13y ago
  > I'm also surprised that this was released before Google I/O I haven't been at the Google I/O but it wouldn't be surprising if they did not want to have anything to do with a competitor mentioned at their conference.
  - ben1040 13y ago
    Last year at I/O, one of their big keynote announcements was Chrome for iOS.
- cargo8 13y ago
  I'm not surprised at all. The mobile market is a much more compelling _user scenario_ than desktop, both in terms of the user-need and the user-interface. On mobile, the user-need can be satisfied much better with additional sensor data that aren't common in computers today. The user-interface, too, is why it's a much more compelling mobile offering than a desktop offering (collating all that information in mobile between multiple apps would be annoying, not so much with a multi-tabbed browser or multiple windows) Besides, Google has been killing it on iOS recently.
ScottWhigham 13y ago
Wait - I'm lost here. I've downloaded the Google Search app, and I've signed in (as per the article's last paragraph). But I don't see anything called Google Now anywhere. I tried swiping (as per the video) but nada. Help?
incawater 13y ago
Does it work on Android?
gadders 13y ago
Can I have Google Now on Android 4.0.4 please?
epo 13y ago
Funny, if Apple trawled through your email, calendar and search history to pull a stunt like this people would be up in arms. Guess whether a walled garden is a bad thing depends on your particular brand of fanboyishness. Personally speaking, the idea of Google displaying things based on my email history, diary and a knowledge of my location makes me shudder, "You're near that motel where you had that quickie last month, want to make a reservation?".
- untog 13y ago
  Funny, if Apple trawled through your email, calendar and search history to pull a stunt like this people would be up in arms. Would they? Is there any precedent here of Apple scraping user info? The usual complaints against Apple (mine included) is that their systems are far too locked down and closed to competition- not that they do funny stuff with my data.
  - herge 13y ago
    Remember the hubbub two years ago when Apple was collecting GPS data? http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2011/04/iphone-customers-lawsuit-data/ http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2011/04/iphone-customers-laws...
    - adfadf 13y ago
      IIRC they did that without informing or asking their users for permission. Contrast that with android which is opt-in.
      - sarvinc 13y ago
        Also they didn't collect the information or share it with third parties and well it was a bug. I don't agree with the OP but I think it's unfair to contrast what Apple did with anything that also wasn't a bug. It would sort of be like comparing what Apple did with security vulnerabilities in Android; the user isn't informed, notified and permission isn't asked for on the other hand Google and Apple weren't/aren't doing so purposefully.
eddieroger 13y ago
I fell for Google Now when I booted my old Nexus to test test something, and Google Now had read through my emails and showed me a tracking status for a UPS package I was expecting. I was pretty jealous of that functionality, but never convinced to go back to Android just for one feature. Now, I really have no reason. It's also pretty telling of something when more iOS devices have Google Now than Android devices do.
- deleted 13y ago
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  - runjake 13y ago
    Of course he knows it. His comment said he was introduced to Google Now on his Nexus. Google Now requires a minimum of Android 4.1. iOS feels pretty old-fashioned in comparison. Pretty subjective. I feel it's the other way around, with Android feeling old-fashioned, although I really like Android's power. I use both Android and iOS daily.
  - sandipc 13y ago
    As you probably know, Google Now is on Jelly Bean and up (Android 4.1+) According to Google's own statistics, just 25% of Android devices [that access the Play store] are on Jelly Bean. Almost 70% are on Ice Cream Sandwich or Gingerbread. http://developer.android.com/about/dashboards/index.html http://developer.android.com/about/dashboards/index.html Not sure how many iOS devices have the Google Search app installed, but I wouldn't be surprised if the percentage of total iOS devices with Google Now is > 25%...
- blhack 13y ago
  I had a similar "whoa" moment a couple of weeks ago. Google alerted me that I should leave for Santa Barbara "now". Which was really, really weird for me, since I was already halfway there (from Phoenix). Apparently, it had read through my emails, seen a receipt for sigur ros tickets from ticketmaster, figured out where I was, and already calculated how long it would take me to get there. That is insanely awesome.
songgao 13y ago
Has anybody else tried it on iPhone? Mine only shows a wether card, and a map card showing me the way home now; nothing more. I even tried creating event in my calendar (both Google and iOS calendars) but no card is added. Is there a significant sync delay for Google Now to retrieve information?
- alexobenauer 13y ago
  Try hitting the refresh button at the bottom, that did it for me.
  - songgao 13y ago
    I did that, and re-opening the app. Still didn't work :-(
- psbp 13y ago
  Give it time. Mine popped up 5 cards that I commonly get in Google Now on my Nexus 7.
  - songgao 13y ago
    So it's a initialization delay? If you add something in your calendar, does that pop up as a card right away?
    - psbp 13y ago
      When is the event? Reminders usually pop up the night before the event for me.
      - songgao 13y ago
        I tried to put it like 1 hour in the future, or 30 min in the future. I think I wanted to ask is, if you add an event that it should pop up now (e.g., it's in the evening, and the just added event is tomorrow), does it show up instantly or is there a delay for Google Now to find out about the event?
mcintyre1994 13y ago
Dammit Google, this is awesome, and genius, and pretty much obsoletes Siri, but why didn't you push this in the Android Google search app? I really want Now on my phone since it's awesome on my tablet, but I can't get Jellybean onto it.
- DigitalJack 13y ago
  I don't have Siri on my iphone (a 4), but I always thought the benefit was from composing text messages and such... This is just search isn't it?
  - mcintyre1994 13y ago
    I believe on an Android phone it integrates all Google voice actions (I may be being unfair to say it obsoletes Siri for iOS as some actions may be unavailable for iOS), which include texting/calling etc. It's not just for searching though, no. It basically acts like Siri, in that it gathers cards of information, but it does that without you asking using a wealth of data Google hold.
    - DigitalJack 13y ago
      Right, but in the context here, on iOS, it's just search as far as I can tell.
  - stonemetal 13y ago
    It isn't just search it is also calender reminders, location based recommendations. It really tries to be a personal assistant the way siri does.
  - jes5199 13y ago
    Hmm. I only use Siri to play music by name.
  - tomkarlo 13y ago
    No, it used to be just search. Now it's a whole integrated service of helpful information on a local/personalized basis (RTFA).
pgrote 13y ago
How do you tell Google Now on IOS where "home" is for you?
- niketdesai 13y ago
  I think if you use Google Maps and star / favourite your home location it will utilize that data in Now (for your commutes and such).
- eli 13y ago
  It figures it out based on, I assume, where you sleep most nights.
- freehunter 13y ago
  You can set your home address within Google Maps if you're logged into the same account Google Now is associated with. You can set your work address as well. If you prefer to have it automagically know your work and home addresses, you can wait a few days and it will discover these on its own using GPS data.
- cheald 13y ago
  You can probably change it in the app settings, or just change it here: https://maps.google.com/locationhistory/b/0/dashboard https://maps.google.com/locationhistory/b/0/dashboard Or here: https://maps.google.com/maps/myplaces?&hl=en https://maps.google.com/maps/myplaces?&hl=en
eitally 13y ago
My favorite feature of Google Now is that when I've searched for a place/address in Chrome on a PC, it automatically pops up with proposed navigation in a card on my phone. That has saved me so many times from the "dammit, I can't remember the street number" while moving from house to car. p.s. This is one widget where allowing it to use the maximum space possible makes a lot of sense, especially when traveling internationally (traffic, places, weather, currency, timezone, social/birthdays, calendar events, "things nearby".
- cheald 13y ago
  I agree, but it's worth noting that you can go to Navigation and recent searches on your PC should appear in the dropdown list of places to choose from, so it's not Now-specific.
  - jervisfm 13y ago
    What device are you using? I just checked on my phone and I didn't see a tab for recent searches available. What I found though were starred places. I like the ability to be able to see my search history. How can you get to that from the navigation app ?
    - kailuowang 13y ago
      I am using 4.2.2. Click the navigation icon at the bottom and the direction page shows up and then the recent search history menu automatically popup underneath the end point input. If you doesn't, you can click the start point and then click the end point again, it might take a bit depending on your connection speed.
    - cheald 13y ago
      Nexus 4 running a CM 10.1 nightly. If you open Maps, click the "Directions" button (not nav, sorry), then it'll ask you what you want directions to, and your recent searches will be there.
      - 13y ago
AJay17 13y ago
I have my own google apps domain and tried to sign up for it with my email, but it says that my I haven't enabled it for my domain. Anybody know where I go to do that?
- techscruggs 13y ago
  Its buried http://rottmann.net/2012/12/enable-google-now-google-apps-for-business/ http://rottmann.net/2012/12/enable-google-now-google-apps-fo...
lucaspiller 13y ago
I really like the dynamic header pictures. It seems to be based upon your location. Any ideas how they are made / where they are from? http://i.imgur.com/0rEQcKp.png http://i.imgur.com/0rEQcKp.png
- jcomis 13y ago
  They are illustrated just for Google Now. Can't seem to find it now, but it a "making of" video (I think from verge) they showed a few different iterations of the top graphic and how they ended up with the current version.
- hnriot 13y ago
  I think it's a co-incidence, for me it shows snow capped mountains, and I'm in San Francisco. We don't have mountains, or snow anywhere short of driving a few hours.
  - Shank 13y ago
    It's location based, but if it can't access the network or the location for some reason, it uses snow capped mountains as a placeholder.
  - clauretano 13y ago
    In Seattle it shows a snow-capped volcano (Mount Rainier), an illustrated version of the Space Needle, the Pike Place Market sign, and a couple downtown buildings from the viewpoint of Kerry Park[1]. They have a generic rotation of images plus some location-specific ones. I'd love to see the whole collection laid out somewhere. [1]: http://i.imgur.com/UgOhEUR.jpg http://i.imgur.com/UgOhEUR.jpg
driverdan 13y ago
After listening to friends rave about Now and reading so many positive comments online I really wanted to like it. I've been using it for a few months and my experience is significantly worse than what others have reported. It always seems to show me notifications for the wrong information at the wrong time. Take directions. I work at a coworking space 4 miles from my home. The hours I'm there vary. Now seems to try predicting when I'm going to leave and shows me directions home. Its timing is never correct and I don't need directions for a route I drive all the time. I can only remember one instance of it correctly notified me of when to leave (with directions) for something on my calendar. Often it just shows directions without the "Leave Now" message. Sometimes it notifies me of the weather. Sometimes it doesn't. I haven't figured out that pattern yet. Overall it just doesn't seem to understand my usage patterns.
- sahaskatta 13y ago
  It doesn't work too well on the first day. Use it for a few days and it will begin to learn your habits.
  - gee_totes 13y ago
    Not if you continually use public transportation. I go all over the place in NYC, and there doesn't seem to be a way to get the directions to default to public transportation. Having driving directions and traffic wait time when I don't have a car is kind of useless.
    - nedrichards 13y ago
      Press the i button in the top right hand corner of the card. Select 'Transportation Mode' from the expander. Select from Driving, Public Transport, Walking, Cycling etc.
      - mentat 13y ago
        Excellent, thank you so much for this. "Next train leaving in <x> minutes" is sweet.
akivabamberger 13y ago
What's this mean for Cue?
umsm 13y ago
Let's talk about privacy: Does it exist? Is this something to worry about?
- bjustin 13y ago
  It sure does! Google can only scan your email, calendar, etc. if you let them. Use outlook.com or Fastmail or iCloud or another alternative if you don't like the agreement Google requires.
  - mhurron 13y ago
    Of course if you don't give Google this information, you might as well not opt-in to Google Now.
inlined 13y ago
I'm halfheartedly excited. Now was a great android feature, but it will only be amazing in ios if it can be hacked to run outside the app like Facebooks chat heads were recently.
josephjrobison 13y ago
How does it affect battery life? Is it always sucking in the GPS? I was using the Moves app and I loved it, but it drained my battery faster than usual.
- eco 13y ago
  On Android it turns on the GPS once every 30 minutes to update your location. If another app turns on the GPS it'll take the opportunity and update then and reset the 30 minute timer. When I got Android 4.1 with Google Now my battery life actually got better (presumably because of improvements made throughout the OS) so it's hard to say what impact it has on battery for me.
- dsewnr 13y ago
  My iPhone 4S is same with yours... the APP keeps using GPS all the time...
pclark 13y ago
It's kind of wild that Google knows that the only American sports team I follow is Miami Heat. First time launch of Google Now for iOS was the weather and their score yesterday. Amazing first user impression.
mikec3k 13y ago
It really needs push notifications
uptown 13y ago
Speaking of Google properties on Apple devices - anybody got any clues on when Google Maps might get an official iPad version?
nightTrevors 13y ago
I'd love to see a quick way to copy the URL of the page you're on, since I more often text people links rather than email them, and "Share via iMessage" doesn't seem to be implemented yet
super_mario 13y ago
And it uses location service ALL the time, even when the app is not running, ensuring I never use the feature.
testingd 13y ago
I love Google Now.
lifeformed 13y ago
Is there a desktop version of this? I've been looking for a replacement for the deprecated iGoogle.
Anelya 13y ago
Finally! My dream come true!!!
JumpCrisscross 13y ago
This seems like a proof-of-concept - it doesn't even throw up iOS notifications. Integration into Chrome for iOS would probably be a better way of gaining a persistent presence in front of Google fans with an iPhone.
piyush_soni 13y ago
Isn't it a stupid decision? Why would they release two of their best selling points - first Google maps, and now "Google Now" to iOS? They could have been two of the biggest USPs for Android, and they destroyed it all.
- bsimpson 13y ago
  Because Google isn't a mobile company - they're a service company. They don't care if you use Android (which makes up barely any of their revenue) or iOS, so long as you use their services. Google makes money by connecting their users to commerce opportunities. Their ability to monetize is linearly related to how many active users they have. They'd rather have 70% of the market through Android plus some proportion of non-Android users finding them through apps than have 75% of the total market and rely 100% on Android to attract users on mobile. They get more total users and have a more diverse base. If Android starts to lose share, they still have the ability to monetize the other platforms.
- smackfu 13y ago
  "Oh you think that these apps are nice on your iPhone? Wait until you see them on Android, they are so much better." Or look at how bad the Voice Search made Siri look.
nl 13y ago
I transited through Melbourne airport last weekend coming home from a holiday. Checked my phone and Google Now told me the projected travel time to the hotel I always stay in when I'm there for work. (Judging by the other comments here, maybe I should complain about that - it should have known I was on holidays. But I'm not jaded enough and so I was just dazzelled by the wonder of it).
SmileyKeith 13y ago
5 Google Apps on my homescreen. 2 Apple apps, Settings and Camera.
chrisballinger 13y ago
Downloading the new Google Search app for my iPhone re-activated "Location History" for my account and tracked me all day until it sent me an email (privacy notice) about how my location history was on. What the fuck, Google.
DigitalSea 13y ago
As a new Android convert I've found Google Now to be awesome. Sure, it's not entirely accurate or intuitive, but it definitely helps and is somewhat good at knowing what information I want to see (it seems to be getting better with each day that passes). Based on the comments people expect Google Now to be a mind reading service, but it's merely a companion that tries showing you the information you want without having to ask for it. Google Now coupled with Google Glass will no doubt be an awesome combination though. Good to see it finally hit iOS devices, for those who aren't too picky you'll find it a fun and helpful app to have.
Macsenour 13y ago
Always on GPS, not cool with that.
kalleboo 13y ago
What do you guys do about multiple accounts? I have my email on a Google Apps for Business account since it's set up on a custom domain, but I have my legacy gmail account for everything else (Search, Maps, YouTube, Google+, Play, Checkout, the list goes on). Since there's no way to merge accounts, and Now can only use a single account, I can either have it only get data from my mail, or get data from everywhere BUT my mail.

329 points by nreece 13y ago

Again I run into the issue that Google doesn't seem to release their iPhone apps internationally. I'm in Europe (Iceland, specifically) and I can't download the Google Search or Google Authenticator apps because they're not available in our App Store. Does this happen to people in any other European countries?

jvzr 13y ago
It is available in France, but yet again France is one of the "bigger" markets. Couldn't you get access to the UK's or Ireland's store? All you need is a voucher card and a fresh email address. That's how I got my US account for US-exclusive apps.
sorich87 13y ago
I'm not in Europe but they (+ Google Maps) are not available in our App Store.
deleted 13y ago
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lawdawg 13y ago

Glad to see this coming to iOS, the more users, the more feedback Google will get on how to improve the service for everyone. Hope Apple can try their hand at creating some cross platform applications as well.

tambourine_man 13y ago
Hope Apple can try their hand at creating some cross platform applications as well. iTunes? QuickTime?
- talisMal 13y ago
  Never on Linux, not on Android, nor has Apple shown any indication of supporting Windows RT. If anything, Apple's abandonment of Safari for Windows indicates that they can't wait to support their platform solely. Even their retail store app, which is used to sell hardware products as little downside of being cross-platform, is iOS only. That's just cutting off your nose to spite your face behavior we've come to expect from Apple.
  - pullo 13y ago
    With google forking webkit, it will be good to have safari back on windows. I could not understand their decision to quit safari development on windows. Integrate and share data between a good safari desktop browser on windows and an iDevice would be nice.
  - alayne 13y ago
    Where's Internet Explorer and Office 2013 for OS X? Which significant Microsoft apps run on iOS? Obviously it makes sense for Google to get its advertising hooks everywhere it can, but I don't see Apple and Microsoft having the same cross-platform incentives at all.
- evilduck 13y ago
  They had Safari for Windows and dropped it. And iTunes and Quicktime both run considerably worse in Windows compared to OSX (besides looking out of place).
- smackfu 13y ago
  I think that's the entire list.

stylo 13y ago

I honestly did not expect to see Google Now on iDevices. For me it is definitely the "killer app" on my Android phone.

Nemisis7654 13y ago
I was surprised at first, but as I thought about it more, it makes sense. Google wants to have you using Google's services. Whether that's on iOS or Android, they probably could not care less. The larger the audience, the more their services get used.
k-mcgrady 13y ago
I used to think that but lately I've been considering switching to Android. Google Now is one of the reasons. Giving me the opportunity to really try it might make be switch now. I think it's because Google Now isn't the kind of feature you can just test in the shop and make a decision on. It requires actual use to know if you like it.
- dodecaphonic 13y ago
  I had the opportunity to use it for a few weeks at work, when developing and Android app, and made the jump from the iPhone to a Nexus 4. Google Now is incredible. Last week I went to another city for a family funeral and the next day it was showing traffic to the place I slept, sights to see, etc. This weekend I was walking around town and a card showed up with movie times. It's little things that wow you and actually turn out to be useful. The Android experience is very good now, but I would be lying if I said that app quality is nearly as high, especially in things like photography and audio. That still makes me think about whether my commitment is long-term.

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fratis 13y ago

I have a question for our Android-using brethren who've had the opportunity to play with Now. I've read a bit about it over the past few weeks, and I've been excited about a port to iOS, but now that I have it, I'm not sure how or if it'll fit into my life day-to-day. At first brush, all I see is a weather widget. I know there's more to it, but where exactly does the magic happen? What have you done (if anything) to maximize its value?

stevejalim 13y ago
Set a work and home location so that it knows when you really are out and about. Start using G+ if you don't already (eg I got a birthday alert for someone yesterday, via Now, via G+). Set some data in other google applications (Calendar, Finance, etc). All roads lead to Now. (Well, some do)
- VLM 13y ago
  Imagine how useful intelligently feeding google reader data into Now would be... oh wait, whoops. Aside from whining about Reader being cancelled I am serious that sniffing relevant RSS feeds would be a highly useful feature to add. I've had it for a few months on my Nexus 7. In summary its travel and shopping push notifications. I had the usual intense short lived "oh that's really cool" reaction and haven't used it since then and its had no measurable impact on my life. Kinda like my relationship with facebook and linkedin and twitter. In the eternal wheel of IT, where nothing is ever really invented, merely recycled every couple years, this is the reincarnation of the pointcast internet screensaver app from the mid 90s. Back then the complaint was it was spammy and didn't provide real value, so after a similar intense publicity wave quieted, they dried up and blew away with the wind, until now (literally, "Now", get the pun? Yeah well bad pun; bad puns never really go away just get recycled later...)
  - alec 13y ago
    I don't think it would be very useful to have RSS feeds in Google Now. I like Google Now because it tells me what I want to know right now, like that my flight is delayed or traffic is bad or here's how to get to that restaurant and you need to leave in 15 minutes. I don't want to know about a new article right now.

adlpz 13y ago

Well, I hate to admit it, because I am an ex-iOS user that ran away from it because of the closed ecosystem, but seeing that it keeps aggregating the absolute best applications, even from Google, and with the goodness everyone feels is coming from the Ive-influenced iOS 7, I might have to fall back into the walled garden. Apple is really good at this stuff.

mehta 13y ago
Not sure what you mean by "absolute best applications" since the app on ios is fundamentally limited by the APIs that are provided by the OS. I agree that ios has some of the better apps but I don't think presence of Google Now on ios is better then that on Android.
- rmrfrmrf 13y ago
  If your definition of a great app is one that has unfettered access to your OS, uh... well, good for you, I guess. Enjoy your MIDI-playing personal USB fan on your Android phone--I'll just be over here getting actual work done.
  - pfg 13y ago
    What makes you think Android apps have unfettered access to the OS? Android's sandbox and permission system is pretty sophisticated and whenever you want install an app you can see exactly what it's allowed to do and then decide whether you actually want to install it. Are you saying you can't get work done unless some third party makes those decisions for you?
- smith7018 13y ago
  As someone who has used all three major platforms extensively, I think I could shed some light on this. iOS has the "absolute best apps" because of the level of polish, design, and near-pixel-perfect elements visible in the apps. I've used Android for years (SGS2 and Nexus 7) and many of the apps are poorly designed and have even poorer implementations. Many of them feel like they are just 5 standard UI widgets put together on the screen is just bland. This can be seen by how many Android applications use Holo but don't try to give it their own personality. Small changes to the UI can lead to a personalized and tailored/polished feel (Starbuck's green standard navbar, Netflix's logo on their own red navbar, etc). Also, iOS apps seem to experiment more with gestures and UX concepts. Using apps like Clear, Google Maps, Haze, etc. really shows you how well thought out an app could be. It just seems like many of Android's apps look the exact same and lack that attention to detail, I guess. Also, please remember that "more powerful" doesn't correlate to "best." I would rate Clear much, much higher than most Android apps. While it doesn't allows me to access the root filesystem, overclock the CPU, or alter the boot image, it's extremely intuitive, attractive, and works beautifully.

kenjackson 13y ago

If I have to launch the app is it really Google Now? Or do I not need to launch the app?

speg 13y ago
I'm trying to figure out. I'm assuming it has to use Notifications? update: does not use notifications :(
- calebegg 13y ago
  How does it work on Android? Does it use notifications there?
  - jonknee 13y ago
    Yes, but Android doesn't also have strict limitations of what an app can do in the background.
  - jeffasinger 13y ago
    Yes, it puts some cards in the notification center on Android. However, Android push is significantly more flexible than iOS push, if you push information to an iOS app, that information must appear as a notification, and the app can't process it until the user opens the notification.
  - myko 13y ago
    Yes. When something Google Now finds relevant is available it creates a low priority notification that the user will see when checking the notification pane.
  - jsnell 13y ago
    It uses a bunch of different kinds of interaction: - A normal home screen widget - A lock screen widget - A special "drag up from the home button" gesture that can be triggered from any app - Rich notifications. (As in you can trigger useful actions straight from the notification. E.g. for an event that's starting soon, you can email all participants.)

kailuowang 13y ago

I've used personal assistant like products before. But google now is the only one I keep going back to. Personal context is critical for a working personal assistant - you need to know the whereabout, the calendar, the habit, the preferences about everything. That's the power of Google streamline of products. Google better not be evil.

dpcx 13y ago
> Google better not be evil. Given their history, that's an awful big statement to make.
- Kiro 13y ago
  Who thinks Google is evil?
  - sbuk 13y ago
    I do. They are the proverbial sheep in wolves clothing IMHO. It's why I choose not to use their products. Unlike many though, I have no issue with anyone else using their products. Google Now seem like a cool product, but for me the cost is far too high.
  - youngerdryas 13y ago
    Google is a business. They can remain non-evil as long as their balance sheet holds up. Downside could be massive.
Samuel_Michon 13y ago
Don’t worry, your personal information is safe with Google. It’s a company that makes all of its profits from selling advertising, surely that has nothing to do with you.

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zmanian 13y ago

I'm a bit surprised that the iphone version of Google Now beat the Chrome version of Google Now. In my mind, Google Now is about carving out a space on devices where they can actually show high value contextual advertising outside of search. Their pitch to advertisers will be much stronger if they have a foothold on every device. I'm also surprised that this was released before Google I/O. Between near confirmation that Android will be 4.3, and the string of major product releases of the last couple of months, it looks like any major announcements will have to come from left field. The Google X people have been dropping hints about some sort of Control Systems thing....

samwillis 13y ago
Chrome Dev channel has a new 'New Tab' design that is moving towards something that could easily become google now. It has its own search box and looks a little like the google homepage. If there was going to be "google chrome now" its the place for it.
pavanky 13y ago
> I'm also surprised that this was released before Google I/O I haven't been at the Google I/O but it wouldn't be surprising if they did not want to have anything to do with a competitor mentioned at their conference.
- ben1040 13y ago
  Last year at I/O, one of their big keynote announcements was Chrome for iOS.
cargo8 13y ago
I'm not surprised at all. The mobile market is a much more compelling _user scenario_ than desktop, both in terms of the user-need and the user-interface. On mobile, the user-need can be satisfied much better with additional sensor data that aren't common in computers today. The user-interface, too, is why it's a much more compelling mobile offering than a desktop offering (collating all that information in mobile between multiple apps would be annoying, not so much with a multi-tabbed browser or multiple windows) Besides, Google has been killing it on iOS recently.

ScottWhigham 13y ago

Wait - I'm lost here. I've downloaded the Google Search app, and I've signed in (as per the article's last paragraph). But I don't see anything called Google Now anywhere. I tried swiping (as per the video) but nada. Help?

incawater 13y ago

Does it work on Android?

gadders 13y ago

Can I have Google Now on Android 4.0.4 please?

epo 13y ago

Funny, if Apple trawled through your email, calendar and search history to pull a stunt like this people would be up in arms. Guess whether a walled garden is a bad thing depends on your particular brand of fanboyishness. Personally speaking, the idea of Google displaying things based on my email history, diary and a knowledge of my location makes me shudder, "You're near that motel where you had that quickie last month, want to make a reservation?".

untog 13y ago
Funny, if Apple trawled through your email, calendar and search history to pull a stunt like this people would be up in arms. Would they? Is there any precedent here of Apple scraping user info? The usual complaints against Apple (mine included) is that their systems are far too locked down and closed to competition- not that they do funny stuff with my data.
- herge 13y ago
  Remember the hubbub two years ago when Apple was collecting GPS data? http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2011/04/iphone-customers-lawsuit-data/ http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2011/04/iphone-customers-laws...
  - adfadf 13y ago
    IIRC they did that without informing or asking their users for permission. Contrast that with android which is opt-in.
    - sarvinc 13y ago
      Also they didn't collect the information or share it with third parties and well it was a bug. I don't agree with the OP but I think it's unfair to contrast what Apple did with anything that also wasn't a bug. It would sort of be like comparing what Apple did with security vulnerabilities in Android; the user isn't informed, notified and permission isn't asked for on the other hand Google and Apple weren't/aren't doing so purposefully.

eddieroger 13y ago

I fell for Google Now when I booted my old Nexus to test test something, and Google Now had read through my emails and showed me a tracking status for a UPS package I was expecting. I was pretty jealous of that functionality, but never convinced to go back to Android just for one feature. Now, I really have no reason. It's also pretty telling of something when more iOS devices have Google Now than Android devices do.

deleted 13y ago
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- runjake 13y ago
  Of course he knows it. His comment said he was introduced to Google Now on his Nexus. Google Now requires a minimum of Android 4.1. iOS feels pretty old-fashioned in comparison. Pretty subjective. I feel it's the other way around, with Android feeling old-fashioned, although I really like Android's power. I use both Android and iOS daily.
- sandipc 13y ago
  As you probably know, Google Now is on Jelly Bean and up (Android 4.1+) According to Google's own statistics, just 25% of Android devices [that access the Play store] are on Jelly Bean. Almost 70% are on Ice Cream Sandwich or Gingerbread. http://developer.android.com/about/dashboards/index.html http://developer.android.com/about/dashboards/index.html Not sure how many iOS devices have the Google Search app installed, but I wouldn't be surprised if the percentage of total iOS devices with Google Now is > 25%...
blhack 13y ago
I had a similar "whoa" moment a couple of weeks ago. Google alerted me that I should leave for Santa Barbara "now". Which was really, really weird for me, since I was already halfway there (from Phoenix). Apparently, it had read through my emails, seen a receipt for sigur ros tickets from ticketmaster, figured out where I was, and already calculated how long it would take me to get there. That is insanely awesome.

songgao 13y ago

Has anybody else tried it on iPhone? Mine only shows a wether card, and a map card showing me the way home now; nothing more. I even tried creating event in my calendar (both Google and iOS calendars) but no card is added. Is there a significant sync delay for Google Now to retrieve information?

alexobenauer 13y ago
Try hitting the refresh button at the bottom, that did it for me.
- songgao 13y ago
  I did that, and re-opening the app. Still didn't work :-(
psbp 13y ago
Give it time. Mine popped up 5 cards that I commonly get in Google Now on my Nexus 7.
- songgao 13y ago
  So it's a initialization delay? If you add something in your calendar, does that pop up as a card right away?
  - psbp 13y ago
    When is the event? Reminders usually pop up the night before the event for me.
    - songgao 13y ago
      I tried to put it like 1 hour in the future, or 30 min in the future. I think I wanted to ask is, if you add an event that it should pop up now (e.g., it's in the evening, and the just added event is tomorrow), does it show up instantly or is there a delay for Google Now to find out about the event?

mcintyre1994 13y ago

Dammit Google, this is awesome, and genius, and pretty much obsoletes Siri, but why didn't you push this in the Android Google search app? I really want Now on my phone since it's awesome on my tablet, but I can't get Jellybean onto it.

DigitalJack 13y ago
I don't have Siri on my iphone (a 4), but I always thought the benefit was from composing text messages and such... This is just search isn't it?
- mcintyre1994 13y ago
  I believe on an Android phone it integrates all Google voice actions (I may be being unfair to say it obsoletes Siri for iOS as some actions may be unavailable for iOS), which include texting/calling etc. It's not just for searching though, no. It basically acts like Siri, in that it gathers cards of information, but it does that without you asking using a wealth of data Google hold.
  - DigitalJack 13y ago
    Right, but in the context here, on iOS, it's just search as far as I can tell.
- stonemetal 13y ago
  It isn't just search it is also calender reminders, location based recommendations. It really tries to be a personal assistant the way siri does.
- jes5199 13y ago
  Hmm. I only use Siri to play music by name.
- tomkarlo 13y ago
  No, it used to be just search. Now it's a whole integrated service of helpful information on a local/personalized basis (RTFA).

pgrote 13y ago

How do you tell Google Now on IOS where "home" is for you?

niketdesai 13y ago
I think if you use Google Maps and star / favourite your home location it will utilize that data in Now (for your commutes and such).
eli 13y ago
It figures it out based on, I assume, where you sleep most nights.
freehunter 13y ago
You can set your home address within Google Maps if you're logged into the same account Google Now is associated with. You can set your work address as well. If you prefer to have it automagically know your work and home addresses, you can wait a few days and it will discover these on its own using GPS data.
cheald 13y ago
You can probably change it in the app settings, or just change it here: https://maps.google.com/locationhistory/b/0/dashboard https://maps.google.com/locationhistory/b/0/dashboard Or here: https://maps.google.com/maps/myplaces?&hl=en https://maps.google.com/maps/myplaces?&hl=en

eitally 13y ago

My favorite feature of Google Now is that when I've searched for a place/address in Chrome on a PC, it automatically pops up with proposed navigation in a card on my phone. That has saved me so many times from the "dammit, I can't remember the street number" while moving from house to car. p.s. This is one widget where allowing it to use the maximum space possible makes a lot of sense, especially when traveling internationally (traffic, places, weather, currency, timezone, social/birthdays, calendar events, "things nearby".

cheald 13y ago
I agree, but it's worth noting that you can go to Navigation and recent searches on your PC should appear in the dropdown list of places to choose from, so it's not Now-specific.
- jervisfm 13y ago
  What device are you using? I just checked on my phone and I didn't see a tab for recent searches available. What I found though were starred places. I like the ability to be able to see my search history. How can you get to that from the navigation app ?
  - kailuowang 13y ago
    I am using 4.2.2. Click the navigation icon at the bottom and the direction page shows up and then the recent search history menu automatically popup underneath the end point input. If you doesn't, you can click the start point and then click the end point again, it might take a bit depending on your connection speed.
  - cheald 13y ago
    Nexus 4 running a CM 10.1 nightly. If you open Maps, click the "Directions" button (not nav, sorry), then it'll ask you what you want directions to, and your recent searches will be there.
    - 13y ago

AJay17 13y ago

I have my own google apps domain and tried to sign up for it with my email, but it says that my I haven't enabled it for my domain. Anybody know where I go to do that?

techscruggs 13y ago
Its buried http://rottmann.net/2012/12/enable-google-now-google-apps-for-business/ http://rottmann.net/2012/12/enable-google-now-google-apps-fo...

lucaspiller 13y ago

I really like the dynamic header pictures. It seems to be based upon your location. Any ideas how they are made / where they are from? http://i.imgur.com/0rEQcKp.png http://i.imgur.com/0rEQcKp.png

jcomis 13y ago
They are illustrated just for Google Now. Can't seem to find it now, but it a "making of" video (I think from verge) they showed a few different iterations of the top graphic and how they ended up with the current version.
hnriot 13y ago
I think it's a co-incidence, for me it shows snow capped mountains, and I'm in San Francisco. We don't have mountains, or snow anywhere short of driving a few hours.
- Shank 13y ago
  It's location based, but if it can't access the network or the location for some reason, it uses snow capped mountains as a placeholder.
- clauretano 13y ago
  In Seattle it shows a snow-capped volcano (Mount Rainier), an illustrated version of the Space Needle, the Pike Place Market sign, and a couple downtown buildings from the viewpoint of Kerry Park[1]. They have a generic rotation of images plus some location-specific ones. I'd love to see the whole collection laid out somewhere. [1]: http://i.imgur.com/UgOhEUR.jpg http://i.imgur.com/UgOhEUR.jpg

driverdan 13y ago

After listening to friends rave about Now and reading so many positive comments online I really wanted to like it. I've been using it for a few months and my experience is significantly worse than what others have reported. It always seems to show me notifications for the wrong information at the wrong time. Take directions. I work at a coworking space 4 miles from my home. The hours I'm there vary. Now seems to try predicting when I'm going to leave and shows me directions home. Its timing is never correct and I don't need directions for a route I drive all the time. I can only remember one instance of it correctly notified me of when to leave (with directions) for something on my calendar. Often it just shows directions without the "Leave Now" message. Sometimes it notifies me of the weather. Sometimes it doesn't. I haven't figured out that pattern yet. Overall it just doesn't seem to understand my usage patterns.

sahaskatta 13y ago
It doesn't work too well on the first day. Use it for a few days and it will begin to learn your habits.
- gee_totes 13y ago
  Not if you continually use public transportation. I go all over the place in NYC, and there doesn't seem to be a way to get the directions to default to public transportation. Having driving directions and traffic wait time when I don't have a car is kind of useless.
  - nedrichards 13y ago
    Press the i button in the top right hand corner of the card. Select 'Transportation Mode' from the expander. Select from Driving, Public Transport, Walking, Cycling etc.
    - mentat 13y ago
      Excellent, thank you so much for this. "Next train leaving in <x> minutes" is sweet.

akivabamberger 13y ago

What's this mean for Cue?

umsm 13y ago

Let's talk about privacy: Does it exist? Is this something to worry about?

bjustin 13y ago
It sure does! Google can only scan your email, calendar, etc. if you let them. Use outlook.com or Fastmail or iCloud or another alternative if you don't like the agreement Google requires.
- mhurron 13y ago
  Of course if you don't give Google this information, you might as well not opt-in to Google Now.

inlined 13y ago

I'm halfheartedly excited. Now was a great android feature, but it will only be amazing in ios if it can be hacked to run outside the app like Facebooks chat heads were recently.

josephjrobison 13y ago

How does it affect battery life? Is it always sucking in the GPS? I was using the Moves app and I loved it, but it drained my battery faster than usual.

eco 13y ago
On Android it turns on the GPS once every 30 minutes to update your location. If another app turns on the GPS it'll take the opportunity and update then and reset the 30 minute timer. When I got Android 4.1 with Google Now my battery life actually got better (presumably because of improvements made throughout the OS) so it's hard to say what impact it has on battery for me.
dsewnr 13y ago
My iPhone 4S is same with yours... the APP keeps using GPS all the time...

pclark 13y ago

It's kind of wild that Google knows that the only American sports team I follow is Miami Heat. First time launch of Google Now for iOS was the weather and their score yesterday. Amazing first user impression.

mikec3k 13y ago

It really needs push notifications

uptown 13y ago

Speaking of Google properties on Apple devices - anybody got any clues on when Google Maps might get an official iPad version?

nightTrevors 13y ago

I'd love to see a quick way to copy the URL of the page you're on, since I more often text people links rather than email them, and "Share via iMessage" doesn't seem to be implemented yet

super_mario 13y ago

And it uses location service ALL the time, even when the app is not running, ensuring I never use the feature.

testingd 13y ago

I love Google Now.

lifeformed 13y ago

Is there a desktop version of this? I've been looking for a replacement for the deprecated iGoogle.

Anelya 13y ago

Finally! My dream come true!!!

JumpCrisscross 13y ago

This seems like a proof-of-concept - it doesn't even throw up iOS notifications. Integration into Chrome for iOS would probably be a better way of gaining a persistent presence in front of Google fans with an iPhone.

piyush_soni 13y ago

Isn't it a stupid decision? Why would they release two of their best selling points - first Google maps, and now "Google Now" to iOS? They could have been two of the biggest USPs for Android, and they destroyed it all.

bsimpson 13y ago
Because Google isn't a mobile company - they're a service company. They don't care if you use Android (which makes up barely any of their revenue) or iOS, so long as you use their services. Google makes money by connecting their users to commerce opportunities. Their ability to monetize is linearly related to how many active users they have. They'd rather have 70% of the market through Android plus some proportion of non-Android users finding them through apps than have 75% of the total market and rely 100% on Android to attract users on mobile. They get more total users and have a more diverse base. If Android starts to lose share, they still have the ability to monetize the other platforms.
smackfu 13y ago
"Oh you think that these apps are nice on your iPhone? Wait until you see them on Android, they are so much better." Or look at how bad the Voice Search made Siri look.

nl 13y ago

I transited through Melbourne airport last weekend coming home from a holiday. Checked my phone and Google Now told me the projected travel time to the hotel I always stay in when I'm there for work. (Judging by the other comments here, maybe I should complain about that - it should have known I was on holidays. But I'm not jaded enough and so I was just dazzelled by the wonder of it).

SmileyKeith 13y ago

5 Google Apps on my homescreen. 2 Apple apps, Settings and Camera.

chrisballinger 13y ago

Downloading the new Google Search app for my iPhone re-activated "Location History" for my account and tracked me all day until it sent me an email (privacy notice) about how my location history was on. What the fuck, Google.

DigitalSea 13y ago

As a new Android convert I've found Google Now to be awesome. Sure, it's not entirely accurate or intuitive, but it definitely helps and is somewhat good at knowing what information I want to see (it seems to be getting better with each day that passes). Based on the comments people expect Google Now to be a mind reading service, but it's merely a companion that tries showing you the information you want without having to ask for it. Google Now coupled with Google Glass will no doubt be an awesome combination though. Good to see it finally hit iOS devices, for those who aren't too picky you'll find it a fun and helpful app to have.

Macsenour 13y ago

Always on GPS, not cool with that.

kalleboo 13y ago

What do you guys do about multiple accounts? I have my email on a Google Apps for Business account since it's set up on a custom domain, but I have my legacy gmail account for everything else (Search, Maps, YouTube, Google+, Play, Checkout, the list goes on). Since there's no way to merge accounts, and Now can only use a single account, I can either have it only get data from my mail, or get data from everywhere BUT my mail.