Google Now, Google's intelligent assistant app, is available for iOS, reports the official Google Blog.
Unlike the iOS assistant Siri, Google Now is future-focused, attempting to provide users with information to help them make decisions and plan their lives. The app gathers data from the user, such as calendar entries or Web searches, to predict what information will be useful. For example, after searching for a restaurant's opening hours, Google Now will provide directions to the restaurant, as well as traffic information for the route.
The system works by displaying a series of cards on the Google Now screen. Information can include anything from weather and sports scores, to a summary of a user's physical activity over the last month, to a digital boarding pass and flight information. Certain cards may trigger a notification.
Users can choose to add functionality to the application by allowing certain data, such as Gmail accounts, to be used, adding cards such as parcel tracking to the Google Now screen. As the app is used, it gathers more data and becomes capable of predicting a user's needs more accurately.
In addition to its predictive tools, Google Now incorporates a voice-activated search and personal assistant tool, positioning the app as a direct competitor to Siri. Taken in conjunction with the introduction of Google Maps for iOS in December 2012, the availability of Google Now for iOS extends the option for iPhone and iPad users to choose Google's software over Apple's on their devices.
Larry Page, Google CEO, identifies Google Now as one of the avenues Google is using to "focus on the big bets that will make a difference in the world".
"Our goal is to get you the right information, at just the right time," he says. "Launched nine months ago, Now provides boarding passes, delivery updates, and traffic conditions... without you having to ask first."
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