14 DAY TRIAL // Google has come a long way when it comes to the development of voice search on Android devices, so as to ensure that users can easily interact with their phones or tablets without having to actually touch them, and it seems that it is actually aiming at soon pushing things a bit further.
According to a recent article on Android Police, Google is hard at work with turning the Search app in Android completely touch-free, meaning that users might never need to put hands on their devices to use it.
We’ve already seen an early implementation of this idea in Moto X, the phone on which Google Now is “always listening,” but it appears that we’ve seen nothing so far.
The search giant is said to plan on implementing new Search capabilities that will allow users to interact with their devices without ever having to even look at them.
Considering the fact that there are a lot of situations in which such a feature could prove more than welcomed, Google’s intentions are honorable, though it remains to be seen what exactly the final product will look like.
Whether the user is driving, running, biking, or doing other activities that require full attention, the Search app will always be there waiting for interaction.
In fact, it seems that Google might be planning on allowing users to engage with their devices even when they are turned off (as long as they are charging).
Additionally, it appears that Google will deliver more detailed spoken answers than before, including reading the weather for a certain location, instead of only announcing that the search results are available, and the like.
Apparently, Google still has to get some aspects in place, as it hasn’t figured out how to handle certain search queries, but things are said to be shaping up.
On top of that, the app will also be able to perform certain actions on a device, such as sending a message, and the like. Apparently, the company is currently trying to decide which actions will require explicit confirmation from the user, and which could be performed without it, after a short delay.
The functionality is said to be known internally as KITT, and will appear on the screen in the form of a large icon on a black background. However, users will be able to change specific settings in it, while also taking advantage of a friendly setup process.
Overall, the new capabilities of Android’s Search app look highly appealing, though we must note that it is not the first time that such functionality is detailed. In fact, it seems that Google is currently trying to catch up with Apple and Microsoft, since both have already introduced similar features inside their mobile OSes.