Google’s extremely impressive voice search feature, Google Now, that was revamped and released with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean is headed to iOS – wait what? Yup, you read that title right. Obviously the entire amazing feature set and “cards” of Google Now won’t be hitting the iPhone, but it comes close and is set to rival Siri on her own playing field.

Today over on the Google Blog they’ve announced that their voice search capabilities on iOS have been revamped to closer resemble those of which Android users now enjoy. Web voice search from Google on iOS has been available for some time, but not to this extend. Nor did it have the awesome speed and user interface of Google Now.

When Google showed off Google Now at Google IO it was rather amazing. The knowledge graph and vocal responses are great, but it won’t tell you a joke. Although I don’t really need it to. Here’s the official video released today from Google:

To be clear this isn’t Google Now for iOS, this is a new and improved “enhanced voice search” for iOS devices like the iPhone and iPad. Simple things like “How’s the weather in San Fransisco,” or “will it rain today” all work like a charm on Android. While this isn’t available for iOS yet, Google states it is coming soon.

My two questions that I’m sure many of our Android readers also have is: Why would they offer that awesome and impressive feature on iOS too? The answer is very clear though. It doesn’t matter what OS, it’s all about Google Search — as that is their true bread and butter. My second question is when will this be available for all Android devices, not just Jelly Bean. If you want to see all the amazing things that Google Now can do, check out our impressive Google Now hands-on.

What do you guys think about seeing this on iOS?

28 COMMENTS

  1. DEVASTATING news to Apple! Love it!!! Google says “you want to pull our services off iOS6? We’ll push some back on there so people can get a taste of what having a real OS is like!”

    • if you’re referring to youtube, the contract ended, and its better that way anyway – they’ll get a standalone youtube iOS app.

      i think this is good to see on iOS as well (voice search), google is giving iOS users the freedom to choose, with chrome and now search and the eventual youtube app…its a good thing for iOS users.

      fyi – i am an android user – Galaxy Nexus on JellyBean

    • It’s not really devastating… The Youtube App contract ended, and Apple are approving of both their Standalone app, and this new app…

      Someone’s a bit OTT. LOL.

      • as is google, leaving all of us to “pick a team” i like both environments myself and webos… take that fan boys who have no tral personal stake in any of this to sit and trade barbs all day like ford and chevy owners, dems and repubs xD. trust the combatants are laughing all the way to the bank in all examples while you get pissed off someone said something about your beloved os of choice

      • And the sad funny thing is android already had similar apps but didnt think they they were ready to be used seriously, but apple used siri and it definately dosent work like the videos presented it and made a killing, the customers were fooled, they should be able to sue apple for releasing this crap, i have used siri worthless piece of crap! and friends of mine never use it because it dosent work like intended most of the time. Google now is the way i think!

      • It’s sad that loneliness has gotten to a level where you’d have to own a phone that can hold conversations.

  7. Great, guess I’ll buy an Iphome so I can get the nexus experience. Common Google, not really fair to your users to give to iphone and make us wait for jelly bean when the majority of users will never see it.

    • The article is wrong. Google voice search is heading to iOS not Google Now. The writer bust be an apple fanboy and a clueless one at that. Google Voice Search and Google Now are 2 different things.

    • They really don’t. They are doing so many horrible things to Samsung who is one of Google’s most important business partners. Also they are trying to copyright the shape of the iphone and make all future android phones square., Fuck that. I hate apple.

  9. Sometimes I think a lot of Google employees actually use an iphone as their daily phone. Fucking idiots. Google is so dumb. Apple doing everything in their power to kill Android and all Google is worried about is providing iOS users with premium features that ICS users can’t even use? I’m beginning to feel like I’m on the wring side, and I’ve been here since the day the G1 came out.

  11. Google Voice Search and Google Now are two completely separate products.
    Google Now is a locations and context aware application to deliver relevant information before you ask for it.
    Google Voice Search responds to voice queries to deliver relevant information when you ask for it.

  12. i understand all the comments/complaint about providing this app to IOS before making the “google now” service/updates to other android devices.. but think of it from googles point of view.. they want to reach the biggest audience they can as quickly as possible, an app for IOS accomplishes this,…Making it available on IOS is WITHIN googles control, where as updates for phone makers to produce compatible devices/software for android updates are not within their control so much..

  13. Apple, Apple, Apple, what a pain in the bum.
    They said the invented the computer monitor…
    well, there were TVs already in the market and that monitor looked like a TV a lot.
    Who copied who?
    Apple is destroying the creative market, what a pain in the bum.

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