Google announced today that they will be releasing a new version of their Google Search app for iOS, adding an interesting new Siri-like voice search feature to the app, making it a much stronger competitor to Apple’s Siri.
Like Siri (and similar to Google Now), the feature allows you to ask questions in natural language and obtain search results. It also allows you to quickly identify theme songs, obtain weather information, perform basic calculations, and more using your voice.
The Verge reports:
Google has updated its search app for iOS to include voice-based questions and answers. You can “ask for the weather in a natural way” and it will provide results. It mirrors the functionality already introduced for Android 4.1 and, in many ways, the functionality of Siri. The interface is clean, matching Google’s open white-space aesthetic with some swooping animations for bringing up the voice search button.
The results are reportedly just as good as Google’s search technology in Android Jelly Bean, and even includes context awareness. Making Google Search more competitive with Siri is a solid move on Google’s part, especially as Apple moves to exclude Google’s services from iOS.
More information can be found on Google’s Voice Search website. The update is not available yet, but can be downloaded through this link once it is available. Check out the below clip for an interesting comparison between Google’s voice search and Siri: