Google has announced the integration of App Activities into its Web search, taking Google+ integration a step forward. This essentially means Google search will now include results related to apps or services that offer logins via Google+.
For instance, if a user searches for SoundCloud, the results listings page will display popular and aggregate user activity on the right side of search results, showing total number of Google+ users signed-in on SoundCloud and popular sound clips among them in order of the number of users listening to them.
According to
Google, the feature is being rolled out in desktop Search over the next few weeks, starting with a limited number of music and movie apps, including Deezer, Fandango, Flixster, Slacker Radio, Songza, SoundCloud and TuneIn. The search giant says that it will be adding more apps over time.
It's worth pointing out that the data populated by Google will only be valid for users who sign-in with their Google+ accounts, so it's not really accurate, but will still give interesting tidbits on app usage for iOS, Android and web apps. While a large number of apps offer Facebook integration using Facebook connect, Google had
introduced a similar integration with Google+ application sign-ins in February. It was clear that Google's intent with the integration was to track users as they surf across the Internet, representing the search powerhouse's latest effort to establish a foothold in the all-important social Web arena - and beat back competition from Facebook, the sector leader. It also aims to make its social network, Google+ more relevant.
Launched in 2011, Google+ still lags far behind Facebook it had 100 million monthly active users in December, according to comScore, compared to well over 1 billion for Facebook. But Google officials have downplayed the lukewarm public reception, saying they view Google+ more as an invisible data "backbone" that tracks individual users across its various properties - and less as a consumer Internet destination. Over the past year the company has made changes to the log-in process at its YouTube subsidiary, for instance, in order to nudge the video site's 800 million users to sign in and leave comments with their Google+ accounts rather than anonymous handles.