Google has now made it possible to search within apps on Android phones. In Apps search allows Android users to look for content within their installed apps using the Google app.
Currently, the new In Apps search mode is fairly limited in what it’s able to search for. You can search for contacts and messages in GMail, find a favorite song in Spotify, or look up a video in YouTube. In the coming months, integration with the following apps will be added: Facebook Messenger, LinkedIn, Evernote, Glide, Todoist and Google Keep. You will also have the option in the Settings menu to choose which apps appear in In Apps search.
Since In Apps search is performed entirely on one’s phone, it is said to work even without a WiFi or cellular connection. The first handset to get the new In Apps search mode is LG V20, which is also the first phone to ship with Google’s latest mobile operating system, Android 7.0 Nougat. The LG V20 will sport a home screen shortcut to allow access to In Apps search with a single tap.
Not many more details are known about the LG V20 at this point; more information is scheduled to be announced on Tuesday, September 6th, at an event in San Francisco. In Apps search is a feature that’s exclusive to Nougat, so presumably other handsets that have been able to upgrade to the latest Android OS will be getting the new search mode as well.
We will be following the LG V20 event next week and will report back with more details about In Apps search if more become available.
