Google is announcing many innovations relating to the search for information – from concealing personal data to the CO₂ balance of cheese.
Google presented numerous new service features for the search engine, maps, lens and news on Thursday. The availability of the new features varies by time, language and country. For example, US users in English can now request that Google suppress search results that contain certain personally identifiable information.
The new function has been rolled out for a few days with updates for the “Google” app for Android. Anyone who uses it to find their address, email address or telephone number online can ask Google to no longer display the search result publicly. It is not yet clear whether the site operator concerned can find out which sites are taboo for Google so that the information can be removed if necessary. voonze online asked Google for information.
Will be in the English version of Google News soon automatically translated messages displayed, which are originally German, French or Spanish. The primary aim is to tap into local news sources on local events.
Google Lens “near me”
Google Lens should not only automatically translate the text contained in an image, but also embed it graphically better in the image. As early as April, Google taught its lens what is known as “multisearch”. Users can not only make a search query with either an image or written text, but can combine these two inputs.
Now comes as a search operand near me add: With this, the user indicates to the server that the search results for what is shown in the image may focus on results related to the surrounding area. For example, if you hold sneakers in front of the lens in Albuquerque and write “near me” next to them, you don’t want general information about this footwear, but want to know where you can buy it in Albuquerque.
News for the hungry
Especially for restaurant dishes A comparable function is added to the Google search engine: If you are looking for yeast dumplings, for example, you should find out which restaurants in your area serve this delicacy. For savory dishes, those who want to eat should be able to request a degree of spiciness in order to further limit the search results.
In the future, the search engine will also provide more recipe suggestions and show which ingredients are responsible for how much CO₂ emissions. For example, users can see at a glance that cheese is responsible for significantly more CO₂ equivalents than fish or poultry. Google markets this as part of its Efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
More personalization
This also includes detailed information on electric cars in search results (price, range, charging time and US subsidies) or the introduction of an API that can be used to retrieve information on the specific energy consumption of different route suggestions. App developers should even be able to indicate which engine is used for a route so that Google can estimate the expected CO₂ emissions for the respective route.
Even more personalization is generally a concern of Google. If you tell Google which streaming services you have subscribed to, the search results will then primarily show entertainment offers that are listed on these streaming services. And if you store your favorite brands in Google’s shopping search, you will mainly find products of these and similar brands on offer.
At the same time, Google promises to make it clear when search results are personalized (which can then be turned off) and when they aren’t. However, according to Google’s definition, search results tailored to the user’s location – such as references to local shops and restaurants – are not personalized.
With “shop” for shopping
Of the new search operand shop restricts search results to listed goods. In the future, these will more often include used goods, which are also part of the group’s ecological efforts. For business owners, Google wants to make it easier for them to create images that show the goods for sale from all directions, so that the customer can virtually rotate the product. This should be possible in the future with significantly fewer individual images.
Search results should increasingly show hits on discussions and forums that Google crawls on the Internet. And even while typing in search queries, Google would like to make more suggestions than before.
New for Google Maps
For Google Maps, the data company announces a longer one List of new offers to: Digital restaurant menus should have even more pictures. The augmented reality service LiveView, in which route guidance is displayed in a live image of the environment, should itself be sufficient for the search interface. For example, if you are looking for a specific shop or an ATM in the hustle and bustle of a market, you can display it in LiveView. This should work in London, Paris, Tokyo and three US cities in a few months.
For 250 landmarks around the world, Google has integrated elaborate aerial photos called “Immersive View” into Google Maps, in which the user can fly around. In addition, users should have a preview to individual neighborhoods to get a feeling for the situation and mood there – this should also work for future times that the user specifies.
