14 DAY TRIAL // Google is taking the plunge and adding personal results to search. Users will be able to ask information on flights they have reserved, packages they have ordered and so on.
This data was already available in Google Now and Google has been experimenting with personal answers in search results, for example, conversations from Gmail.
"Ever had trouble checking your flight’s status on the go because it meant digging through your email for the flight number? Or wanted to just quickly see whether your package would arrive on time, without having to look up the tracking info first? You've told us it would be much easier if you could skip the fuss and just ask Google," Google explained.
"Soon you'll be able to find this info instantly in Google Search if it’s in your Gmail, Google Calendar or Google+. For example, just ask or type, 'What’s my flight status?' or 'When will my package arrive?'," it added.
The feature is rolling out in the US for the English version of the site first. It works on the desktop site, but also on mobile devices and supports voice search as well.
Users will be able to request information on flights, reservations, purchases, events and appointments, photos from Google+ and basically everything else that's available in Google Now.
All the data comes from Gmail, Google Calendar, Google+ and so on, all the places Google has access to. The company has been experimenting with these types of results for a year now, so some users won't be surprised at all to see them.
The feature is optional, if you don't want personalized results, you can simply click the "globe" icon on the search results page, to see the standard one. You can turn off personalized results permanently as well.
Also, all personalized search results are provided via the encrypted version of Google Search, which is the default for logged in users anyway. Obviously, you have to be logged into your account for this information to be available.