Google Now, an intelligent assistant service that has been a staple feature of Android for the last year, has come to Apple's iOS platform, with iPhone and iPad support now available as part of the Google Search app.
Support for Google Now is available in version 3.0 of the official Google Search application, which is available for free on the iOS App Store. With Google Now, users can receive:
- Weather and traffic conditions before you start your day
- Updates on your favorite sports teams and breaking news stories as they happen
Google Search with Google Now support requires an iPhone, iPad or iPod touch running iOS 5.0 or later. The software has also been designed to take advantage of the 4-inch display of the iPhone 5.
Google Now was launched by the search company last year and was widely seen as its response to Apple's Siri personal assistant. The Google Now service eliminates the need for users to communicate with their phones by automatically detecting information a user is likely to need, and preparing it ahead of time.
Evidence of Google Now for iOS leaked earlier this year while the feature was still in development. Google Chairman Eric Schmidt even caused a controversy last month when he suggested Apple was blocking Google Now from iOS, but it was ultimately revealed that Google had not even submitted the application for approval.