Skip to main content

Google’s new mobile app feature will help you find something fun to do

nfc smart unlock
Stop staring listlessly into space when someone asks you if you have any weekend plans. Instead, just stare at Google. On Wednesday, the search giant unveiled something new for you to search: Your plans.

Google’s newest feature on both the Google app and mobile web in the United States allows you to see a “clear summary of activities from sites from across the web like Eventbrite, Meetup, and more, that might be just what you’re looking for.” So when you search for a comedy show in New York, you’ll be able not only to see what venues you might want to check out, but also discover upcoming shows and even buy tickets immediately through the Google app.

Recommended Videos

Cutting out all the intermediary steps that might otherwise accompany searching for your Friday night plans, Google instead allows you to check out details about various activities with a single tap of the search button. You can see an event’s title, date and time, and location, or check out “more events” to see similar options. If you find something that tickles your fancy, just tap on it to purchase tickets.

Moreover, you can search for events happening in a specific time frame, so if you know that you’re taking a trip to Austin next week, you can filter your results to see what your best options may be. Or if you’re staying more local but need some inspiration for how to spend your time, just type “events near me” to see what’s happening in your neighborhood.

Google is also opening up this new feature to event creators, who are invited to explore the company’s developer guidelines to see how you to boost their listings, ensuring that eager event seekers will find their offerings. “We hope this update helps you make FOMO a thing of the past,” Google concluded, “You’ve got plans to make!”

Lulu Chang
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Fascinated by the effects of technology on human interaction, Lulu believes that if her parents can use your new app…
Google now wants you to scroll forever on its Search for mobile
google search mobile

Continuous scrolling is synonymous with social media sites seeking to keep you on their app/website. Whether it's Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook -- all of them offer continuous scrolling so that you stay on their service for as long as possible. Now, Google wants you to endlessly scroll search results on its Search page for mobile. The company says the new change will make "browsing search results more seamless and intuitive."

From the explanation that Google has provided on its blog, it looks like Search on mobile will showcase more related results to open-ended questions like "What to cook with potatoes?" instead of simply showing you the results from the second page of the Search.

Read more
Google Lens is getting Chrome integration to help you find out-of-stock products
Google Lens shopping integration.

Google announced at its Search On event on Wednesday that it's bringing the smartphone functionality of its Google Lens to the desktop version of Chrome. Lens is an app that helps identify objects, and it's installed by default in many Android phones.

At some point in "the coming months," Chrome will receive an update to incorporate Lens-style searching into Chrome. Instead of the old highlight, then right-click, then "search Google for" three-step process, you can search a webpage directly with Lens.

Read more
New Apple iOS 15 features emerge in Tips app in advance of iPhone 13 launch
Apple's Craig Federighi standing in front of the iOS 15 logo.

One week ahead of Apple’s “California Streaming” event, Apple iPhone users are getting a peek at what the future holds for iOS 15. The Tips app began pushing notifications officially announcing upcoming iOS 15 features that are likely to roll out alongside the iPhone 13, which is widely expected to be unveiled at the September 14 event.

The full preview of iOS 15 is displayed in the Collections section of the Tips app, alongside the preview for iOS 14 and other iPhone guides. We've already done a deep dive into key iOS 15 beta features, but Apple has revealed some new information.

Read more