Google announced in an 'Inside Search' blog post on Friday that it has updated the search function in Android to accommodate more apps linking directly within search results. Additionally, a Google Play store update now adds 'From familiar faces' section for recommended content, which helps users in segregating regular apps from content +1-ed by people you follow on Google+.
The search engine giant announced in December that Android smart devices users in the US will see Google Search results that embed and display additional content from individual apps. Three types of app listings will now appear depending on the search - these are 'Open in app', 'Google Play buttons', and 'Download button'.
For example with the Open in app listing, if a user is searching for last night football score or about any football player in general on Google search, within the list of results he/she should also find a link to news story currently listed in the Bleacher Report app (in case it is installed).
In a post titled 'Accessing your app content in Google Search - now global, and with more apps', Google said the service is now available worldwide.
The Search within apps feature now includes an updated list of 24 apps: 500px, AOL, BigOven, Bleacher Report, Booking.com, Eventbrite, Glassdoor, Goodreads, Huffington Post, Merriam-Webster, Pinterest, Realtor.com, Seeking Alpha, TalkAndroid, TheFreeDictionary, The Journal, TripAdvisor, Tumblr, Urbanspoon, Wattpad, YP, Zagat, Zappos and Zillow.
Google also updated the Play Store adding a 'From familiar faces' uses the +1 data of users to curate recommended apps. It will also suggest apps that are rated highly, even if they haven't used +1 on it. Furthermore, users can drill down to all the apps liked by a particular individual.
We tested the feature on a device running Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean and it works exactly as stated by Google. In fact, we even downloaded a few apps on the basis of the recommendations by friends.
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