search

63 'search' stories March 2011 - October 2017

Apple’s universal Search feature now works with BBC America, CBC, and more

Zac Hall Oct 17 2017 - 6:39 am PT

Apple has gained several new partners around the world for its universal Search feature on Apple TV. In the United States, Apple TV users can now use the Search app or Siri to find content in BBC America, Classix, and Oxygen.

Search on Apple TV lets you look for movies and TV shows in supported channels without hunting for specific content in individual apps. Here’s the full list of new Search partners in the US and around the world:

Expand
Expanding
Close

Apple adds several new universal Search and TV app content partners

Zac Hall Jul 25 2017 - 8:21 am PT

0 Comments

Apple continues to gain new content partners to support new entertainment features like Single Sign-on, universal Search, and the TV app. Earlier this month SSO gained 10 more TV providers, and today both Search and the TV app have added new channel partners.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Opinion: Apple badly needs to fix App Store search, but not by paid placements

Ben Lovejoy May 13 2016 - 7:27 am PT

0 Comments

We heard last month that Apple has a team of around 100 people working on revamping the search functionality in the iOS App Store. If true, it’s long overdue because App Store search is a truly terrible experience. You know it, I know it, developers know it, everyone in the world knows it – except, it had always appeared, the Apple execs in charge of it.

If Apple is actually going to fix App Store search so that it works, that’s excellent news. But one part of the report sounded distinctly less encouraging.

One of the methods that Apple is considering is paid search. Essentially, developers and companies could pay to have their app shown more prominently in search results.

That gives the impression that Apple is more focused on generating additional revenue than delivering a great user experience …

Expand
Expanding
Close

Report: Apple to revamp App Store browsing, perhaps with paid search results

Chance Miller Apr 14 2016 - 3:48 pm PT

14 Comments

One qualm many have had about the iOS App Store is that the search functionality is currently a less-than-stellar way to peruse through the millions of apps available for users. According to a new report from Bloomberg, however, Apple is working behind-the-scenes to explore a handful of changes for App Store search.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Google paid Apple $1 billion in 2014 to keep it the default search engine on iOS devices

Abner Li Jan 21 2016 - 7:50 pm PT

10 Comments

Earlier this evening, the Oracle vs. Google lawsuit revealed Android’s revenues and profits for the first time. The same case has now revealed that Google paid Apple $1 billion in 2014 as part of its ongoing deal to be the main search provider—as in the one that resides in the search bar by default—on iOS devices.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Former Chomp co-founder and Apple TV designer Ben Keighran leaving company

Zac Hall Jan 19 2016 - 12:45 pm PT

2 Comments

Chomp co-founder Ben Keighran is exiting his role at Apple according to a new report out of Re/code:

Ben Keighran, who joined Apple four years ago when it bought a startup he co-founded, says he is leaving soon and eventually intends to start something new. “I want to create not just a killer product, but my own iconic company,” he said.

Keighran joined Apple in 2012 when it bought his firm Chomp to overhaul iTunes and App Store search. Universal search among key media partners is a major feature of the new Apple TV. Chomp’s other co-founder Cathy Edwards joined Apple through that acquisition and worked on Maps Quality before leaving in March 2014.

The report notes that Keighran oversaw “the look and feel of the software on the new Apple TV” and ranked three steps down from Eddy Cue who runs the iTunes team. Here’s to hoping whoever takes Keighran’s place Chomps down on the finicky Siri Remote and creates something a little more ergonomic … kidding, Keighran likely played a key role in Apple TV’s universal search feature through Siri which works pretty well.

It is an interesting pattern to observe Apple employees brought on through company acquisitions leave Apple after the product they were brought on to help make ships to customers. Beats Music’s Ian Rogers comes to mind. My guess is people that create these companies are better suited at creating on their own versus working within a major company like Apple.

Apple shuts down analytics company Topsy two years after its acquisition

Chance Miller Dec 15 2015 - 5:39 pm PT

10 Comments

Almost two years ago to date, Apple acquired a Topsy Labs, an analytics company that made various products that searched and drew data from conversations happening on services like Twitter. Now, Apple has shut down the service according to a tweet from Topsy.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Apple updates App Store search algorithms to display more relevant & intelligent results

Chance Miller Nov 13 2015 - 7:20 pm PT

13 Comments

Apple, after unveiling a new Shopping category last week, appears to have now made more enhancements to the App Store. According to a report out of TechCrunch, Apple has improved its search algorithms to return more relevant and intelligent results when a keyword search is performed.

Expand
Expanding
Close

iPhone podcast app Castro goes free, adds 3D Touch features, Spotlight integration, more

Benjamin Mayo Nov 12 2015 - 8:59 am PT

5 Comments

The iPhone podcast app Castro has a lot more competition in the market nowadays since I first reviewed it back in 2013. Arguably, Castro is still the most visually appealing of the current crowd and the developers are currently working on the next major version of the app, Castro 2. In the meantime, the developers have released Castro 1.5 with some new features and a new pricing model. Following Overcast’s lead, Castro is now completely free for all to download. The company is moving to a patronage model.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Google’s app indexing links coming to Safari on iOS by end of month

Jordan Kahn Oct 9 2015 - 12:40 pm PT

1 Comment

Google first introduced app indexing for iOS apps in search back in May, allowing in-app content to appear in search results with links that send users directly to an app. The feature was originally only available in the Google app and Chrome browser, but now Google is launching an updated version of the framework that will make the app links also appear in Google search results in Safari.

Getting your app content found on Google just got easier. App Indexing is now compatible with HTTP deep link standards for iOS 9, as it has been on Android from the beginning. That means that you can start getting your app content into the Search results page on Safari in iOS, simply by adding Universal Links to your iOS app, then integrating with our SDK.

Developers simply need to support the Universal Links standard to get their apps to show up in search results. Users will begin to see the app indexing links showing up in Safari on iOS by the end October.

Devs can read more on how to support the feature here.

Google updates iOS search app to show map results, GIFs, allow review posts with photos

Ben Lovejoy Oct 8 2015 - 5:34 am PT

0 Comments

Google has updated its official search app for iOS to version 9.0, adding three new features.

• Add a photo or review for your favorite local places
• Get map results right in the app when you search for an address
• Tap and play animated GIFs in image search results

The app supports Siri-like spoken search queries, speaking the answer to questions. You can also get Google Now cards through the app, which aim to proactively offer you information you might want based on your location and other clues in a similar way to iOS 9’s proactive assistant feature. The company added always-on “Ok, Google” functionality in August.

Google is a free download from iTunes.

Concept imagines Apple TV 4 UI w/ Siri, App Store, and more ahead of next week’s refresh

Jordan Kahn Sep 1 2015 - 1:38 pm PT

24 Comments

Ahead of a next-generation Apple TV expected to get an official unveiling at Apple’s press event next week, this concept from Andrew Ambrosino imagines a revamped user interface for the device.

We’ve reported extensively on the yet-to-be-announced, next-generation Apple TV and much of the concept from Ambrosino takes into account our reports regarding new features for the device. Most notably, we reported that Apple is currently planning Siri support, a new dedicated remote control, App Store access, and iOS 9’s improved Proactive search features.

The concept considers many of these features for the new Apple TV that will inevitably include a new UI to accommodate new functionality and navigation. However, with that in mind, we reported earlier that the overall aesthetic of the new Apple TV’s software will largely remain the same.

Earlier this month we reported that the fourth-generation Apple TV would arrive for customers in October for under $200 while Apple plans to keep the current, third-generation Apple TV around minus some of the new features included with the new hardware.

Apple is currently planning to unveil its next-generation Apple TV alongside new iPhone hardware and more at its press event scheduled for September 9th.

More images from Ambrosino’s concept below:

Google for iOS updated w/ always-on ‘OK Google,’ improved local search results, more

Chance Miller Aug 12 2015 - 6:38 pm PT

5 Comments

Google today has started rolling out an update to its iOS app for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. The update, the first significant update to come to the app in some amount of time, bumps it to version 7.0 and includes a handful of notable new features.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Poll: Should iOS 9’s Proactive make privacy compromises to better rival Google Now?

Jeremy Horwitz Aug 3 2015 - 1:01 pm PT

33 Comments

I was genuinely excited when my colleague Mark Gurman revealed iOS 9’s Proactive — Apple’s competitor to the Android assistant Google Now — because it sounded like something that would radically improve my daily iPhone use. “Like Google Now,” Mark said, “Proactive will automatically provide timely information based on the user’s data and device usage patterns,” details Apple confirmed when it officially announced Proactive at WWDC. Google Now’s success made an Apple response inevitable: who wouldn’t want an iPhone that correctly anticipated your needs, reducing your time spent manually hunting for information?

But unlike Google, which Apple CEO Tim Cook has portrayed as a miner of personal data for “God-knows-what advertising purpose,” Apple has positioned itself as a champion of user privacy. As such, Proactive apparently doesn’t use cloud servers to process your personal data, which Google has done to great effect. Instead, iOS processes data directly on your device, so its scope — whatever your device is holding — and utility are a lot more limited. Consequently, the iOS 9 beta version of Proactive doesn’t do much; its features could have appeared on the annual WWDC slide that flashes 50 new iOS additions on screen for less than a minute before disappearing.

Readers, I’d like to ask you a question. We’ve seen what Google and third-party developers are currently doing with Google Now cards, and it’s pretty awesome — everything from helping you manage commutes (like Proactive) and trips (way beyond Proactive) to finding TV shows, scheduling return taxi rides, and sending birthday greetings. My question: would you rather see Apple slowly iterate on Proactive as it sorts through each new feature’s privacy implications, or tackle Google Now with a bolder and more powerful Proactive, privacy be (mostly) damned? A poll is below…

Expand
Expanding
Close

Instagram rolling out user, location, and hashtag search on the web

Zac Hall Jul 20 2015 - 10:29 am PT

5 Comments

Nice Yosemite reference, Instagram

Instagram first started as an iPhone-only photo sharing social network and has since expanded to other smartphone platforms, but the experience for interacting with Instagram on the Mac never been at feature parity. Today Instagram is making small steps to improve the experience with using the service on the web by introducing the ability to search for content using the official Instagram website.
Expand
Expanding
Close

Instagram iPhone app adds revamped Explore tab w/ trending content, improved search

Jordan Kahn Jun 23 2015 - 11:25 am PT

1 Comment

Instagram is rolling out an update today for its iPhone app bringing two major new features, including a redesigned Explore tab and improved search functionality. The company said the updates will “help connect our community to the world as it happens,” or in other words, a more real-time experience thanks to new trending Tags and Places within the Explore tab.

With more than 70 million photos and videos posted to Instagram every day, wherever something is happening, chances are you can see it here. Whether it’s behind the scenes at the NBA Finals, on the runway with the latest fashion trend at a favorite club with a local band, people are capturing moments large and small on Instagram. But, until now, there’s never been an easy way to find these moments.

On top of the new trending tags and places in Explore, the company said it will be adding curated collections of images based on various themes, such as specific people or places, and featuring content from across the network.

The updated Explore feature is first rolling out to users in the US as part of the 7.0 update for iPhone that also adds improved search functionality:

For everyone on Instagram, we’ve dramatically improved the ability to find what you’re looking for. With the new Places Search, you can now peer in at just about any location on earth, allowing you to scout out your next vacation spot in the South Pacific, get a look inside that hot new restaurant or experience your favorite music festival — even if you couldn’t make it this year. The new Top Search also lets you search across people, places and tags all at once.

You can grab Instagram version 7.0 for iOS on the App Store now.

DuckDuckGo has grown 600% since Apple made it a search option (and NSA revelations)

Chance Miller Jun 16 2015 - 2:50 pm PT

16 Comments

Speaking in an interview with CNBC, DuckDuckGo CEO Gabe Weinberg said that the company’s traffic has grown 600 percent over the past two years. A variety of factors likely played a role in this explosion of growth, but it is mainly attributable to the NSA’s surveillance program, which was revealed two years ago, and Apple adding it as a default search option with iOS 8 and Safari 7.1 on the Mac. Google, however, has remained the default option.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Google Places API for iOS now available to all, Maps to add offline search/navigation

Jordan Kahn May 28 2015 - 11:31 am PT

4 Comments

As part of its Google I/O developer conference today, Google is offering some updates on its Google Places API for iOS as well as future updates arriving for its Maps app.
Expand
Expanding
Close

Tumblr for iOS adds blog creation, trending tags widget, quick video embedding, more

Zac Hall Apr 15 2015 - 10:10 am PT

3 Comments

Tumblr is out today with a brand new version of its blogging and community app for iPhone and iPad. Version 4 adds several new features like the ability to create new blogs from your iPhone or iPad and create video posts quickly by pasting YouTube or Vimeo URLs into a new post. The update adds a new widget for the Today section of Notification Center on iOS 8 for quickly seeing which tags are trending on Tumblr when you’re not using the app and much more.
Expand
Expanding
Close

Apple reportedly acquired search startup Ottocat in 2013 for “Explore” tab in App Store

Chance Miller Apr 6 2015 - 4:16 pm PT

2 Comments

Apple often acquires small startup companies very quietly and without any formal announcement to bolster its own services, and a new report from TechCrunch claims that the company acquired Ottocat in late-2013. Ottocat was a startup that focused on developing a system to organize and discover apps based on increasingly specific subcategories. Apple currently uses this technology to power the “Explore” tab in the App Store, as seen above.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Google Maps for iOS adds POI quick facts, upcoming events for select venues, more

Zac Hall Feb 27 2015 - 8:28 am PT

4 Comments

: POI quick facts

: Upcoming events

Google is packing even more useful information into the latest version of its Maps app for iOS. Google Maps 4.3.0 for iPhone and iPad adds several contextual data points to locations like nearby businesses for address searches, quick facts for notable locations, and even event information for select venues.
Expand
Expanding
Close

Canadian court rules that police officers can search cell phones without warrant during arrest

9to5 Staff Dec 11 2014 - 9:42 pm PT

7 Comments

The Supreme Court of Canada has ruled by a 4-3 decision that Canadian police officers have the right to search cell phones without a warrant during arrests under certain circumstances: the arrest must be lawful, police need a valid reason for the search, the search must be limited to the suspected crime and police must keep detailed records of the search.
Expand
Expanding
Close

Bing and Yahoo reportedly aiming to become default iOS search engine as Google’s contract runs out

Mike Beasley Nov 25 2014 - 7:14 pm PT

24 Comments

Last week Mozilla announced that its Firefox browser would be dropping Google as the default search engine in favor of Yahoo. While it’s a good move for Yahoo, it won’t gain the company the exposure that comes with being the default search engine on something more widely used, such as Apple’s Safari browser on iOS devices.

That position has been held by Google since the iPhone’s launch in 2007, but the agreement that made the Mountain View-based company the default site for all of Safari’s searches will expire next year, and The Information reports that Yahoo and Microsoft’s Bing are both vying for the spot.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Google begins displaying “Listen Now” ads for streaming music services (including Beats) in search results

Jordan Kahn Aug 8 2014 - 1:27 pm PT

0 Comments

Google appears to be experimenting with new “Listen Now” ads in search results for streaming music services including its own Google Play Music and competitors like Apple’s Beats Music. The Wall Street Journal first noticed the ads and confirmed the new format with Google:

The ads appear in searches on personal computers as well as mobile devices and are performing well for some advertisers, according to one person familiar with the results. Music services previously could have bought similar ads, but the grouping, display and labeling are new. “We’re happy to help users quickly find legitimate sources for their favorite movies, music and more via Google search,” a Google spokesman said.

Google also confirmed to The Wall Street Journal that the music services pay per click just like traditional ads it displays in search. Along with its own Google Play service and Apple’s Beats Music, the Listen Now section is also currently showing ads from Rhapsody and Spotify.

Google has experimented with other types of links for content in search results including “Watch Now” links for movies and tv that direct users to its Google Play service. It also recently laucnhed app indexing on Android, which displays a button for users to quickly launch apps from search results.