Google Launches Instant Previews for Android Devices

Google's Instant Preview feature that provides users with a visual preview of their search results is available now for devices running Android 2.2 or later.

With Instant Previews, users will be able to quickly compare results, pinpoint relevant content, as well as interact with the search results page. The new feature will be available across 38 languages and is similar to the desktop version.

To use Instant Previews on a mobile device, users will have to do a search on Google and tap on the magnifying glass that appears next to each search result.

The new feature doesn't require any downloads and/or installation processes, it only needs activation from the magnifying glass icon.

“A side-by-side comparison view of the webpage previews for the first page of search results will appear. When you find a result you like, tap on the preview to go straight to the website. It’s as easy as finding a recipe for poaching an egg,” said Brian Ngo, Software Engineer, Mobile Search team.

Furthermore, Android users will be able to text, call-out and highlight where their search term appears on the web page so that they can evaluate if it’s what they were looking for.

In addition, thanks to the new feature, page previews will allow users to see the layout of a web page before clicking the search result.

Visual comparison of search results will also be possible, as soon as the magnifying glass is clicked. This will make it easier for users to pick which result is they think is right for them.

Also, when the mobile version of a website is available, a preview of the mobile page will be shown next to the search results.

“If you’re looking for a webpage that has both photos and descriptions, you can use Instant Previews to quickly identify these pages by navigating across the visual search results with a few swipes of your finger,” concluded Ngo.