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Google search iPhone app gets iMessage support, iOS 11 drag-and-drop & share sheet option

Google on Monday announced several upgrades for its iPhone and iPad search app, designed to weave it more deeply into everyday use.

One of these is an iMessage extension, which lets people find and share content such as videos and nearby restaurants in the middle of a text conversation. In the case of a restaurant, a card will appear in the chat window, which the other person can tap on to see more detailed information such as reviews and typical busy times.

When using Safari, Chrome, or another iOS Web browser, tapping "Search Google" after opening the share sheet will pop up items related to the page a person is on, eliminating the need to copy and paste or manually enter search queries.

iPad owners with iOS 11, lastly, can now drag and drop text, links, and images into other compatible apps.

The iMessage extension is only available in the U.S. for the moment, Google clarified. The Google app is a free download and runs on any device with iOS 10 or later.