It looks like Facebook might be giving Google a run for its money with a new in-app search feature. Facebook’s new “search engine” would allow users to enter search terms when updating a status and select from a drop down menu of links. That way, users never have to leave the social network to find a link that they want to post.
Recently, a Facebook spokesperson confirmed the existence of the search feature to TechCrunch.”We’re piloting a new way to add a link that’s been shared on Facebook to your posts and comments,” Facebook said. It turns out this new “way to add a link” looks a whole lot like a search engine instead of just another small new feature that Facebook added in its latest update.
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The idea is that while users currently need to exit Facebook to post external links, using either Google or copying and pasting straight from a source, this new feature would allow Facebook to integrate search into its own app and keep the search results in house. The addition of search in Facebook could mean huge advertising revenue for the company, if the feature takes off.
Randomly selected beta users in the United States will begin seeing “add a link” as an option next to their Facebook status fields in the mobile app. It sounds simple enough, but what edge could Facebook possibly have on a search engine giant like Google? Well, social media is one of the most awesome powers of data collection that man has ever created, and Facebook leads the pack in that department. Facebook has indexed innumerableof posts and determined the most popular links being shared, so instead of providing users with a random assortment of links, Facebook can make suggestions.
Jack Kent, a senior mobile analyst at IHS, spoke with CNBC about the idea.”If you look at Facebook’s progress over the last few years, the real growth has been in its mobile advertising revenue,” he said. “That means that Facebook’s mobile advertising growth will put pressure on Google. And anything which keeps people inside Facebook with an experience that means that you don’t need Google would put pressure on Google.”
It’s unclear exactly how the search function will work, or when it will roll out to all users, but the start of beta testing hints that it should be coming soon.
Google’s newest app makes it easier to switch to Android
After a soft launch last week, Google today confirmed it was making its "Switch to Android" app available to users on the App store. Much like Apple's equivalent Move to iOS app for Android users, the app tries to speed up the process of moving to Google's ecosystem, albeit, with a few snags.
You can find the app available at the App Store, with Google saying to TechCrunch that it'll become available worldwide over the next few days.
You can now augment Google Lens photo searches with text
Google is looking to improve its search results by leveraging both the power of photos, along with additional text for context. The new experience is called multisearch, which will be available on phones and tablets as part of Google Lens inside the Google app.
Google says the feature combines visual and word searches together to deliver the best results possible, even when you can't describe exactly what it is that you're trying to search for.
Google now wants you to scroll forever on its Search for 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.
