Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Mobile
  3. News

You can now stream Android apps through Google Search

By

woman uses an android smartphone
bloomua/123rf
Google has announced users will now be able to stream in-app search results on its mobile search app. When the in-app search result is clicked, Google will stream the app to the Android device, letting users browse the native experience.

The new function should, in theory, let users book a taxi, plan a holiday or watch a video without downloading the associated app. Early test results show that streaming apps does work, however it is slower than the downloaded version.

“Because we recognize that there’s a lot of great content that lives only in apps, starting today, we’ll be able to show some “app-first” content in Search as well,” said Google in its related Blogspot announcement. “In addition, you’re also going to start seeing an option to ‘stream’ some apps you don’t have installed, right from Google Search, provided you’re on good Wi-Fi.”

Related

Google currently has nine app developers supporting the beta: Hotel Tonight, Weather, Chimani, Gormey, My Horoscope, Visual Anatomy Free, Useful Knots, Daily Horoscope, and New York Subway. Users need to be updated to Android Lollipop or higher and have a stable Wi-Fi connection to stream an app.

Google is also making “app first” content more accessible on search. This means information stored in mobile apps, which don’t have matching web content, will be shown on Google’s search results. Google has 100 billion deep links into apps, including Facebook, Instagram, Airbnb, and Pinterest.

Google wants developers to integrate their apps deeper into the search engine, but we suspect larger app developers like Facebook, Twitter, Airbnb, and Uber won’t support streaming, at least initially. That’s because it gives Google control over how users view the app, and removes location and notification controls that native apps can utilize.

Adding more app influence does not mean Google is stepping away from the mobile Web. In fact, it recently launched the Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) project with Twitter, LinkedIn, Adobe, and a few other contributors to lower webpage load times.

Mobile is Google’s most important platform, with over one billion mobile owners using Google’s own platform, Android. What it needs to do is make sure its search engine remains the default place to find information, instead of the Google Play store.

Editors’ Recommendations

Topics
David Curry
David Curry
Former Digital Trends Contributor
David has been writing about technology for several years, following the latest trends and covering the largest events. He is…
5 phones you should buy instead of the Google Pixel 8a
The Google Pixel 8a's screen.

Everyone loves a bargain, and it's hard to argue that the Google Pixel 8a is anything but. With a flagship processor and one of the best phone cameras around, the $499 smartphone has the specs to make it a steal. But Google hasn't just crammed great hardware into the phone, as it also has one of the cleanest implementations of Android 14, all of Google's current AI roster, and an incredible seven years of software updates to boot. It's a cheap phone that can go the distance, and one we are more than happy to recommend.

But it's not perfect. The battery is a little weak, as is its charging ability — and the less said about the cheap-feeling plastic body, the better. So even though it's a strong phone, there are a number of alternatives that could pull your eyes away from Google's latest midrange phone.

Read more
Arc wants to be a ‘browser that can browse for you’
A screenshot of the meeting feature in Arc Browser.

Following Apple's recent Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), there's been a lot of buzz around the topic of personal context in AI. The latest announcement from The Browser Company, the team behind the Arc browser, ties into that perfectly. Starting now, Arc will automatically detect when you have an upcoming meeting, nudge you about it, and even let you join it directly from the browser window. While the feature sounds neat, the way it was achieved is far more groundbreaking.

Never having to miss another meeting sounds pretty sweet. The feature, shared by Ben Cunningham of The Browser Company, was shown in a short demo video (with an interesting background track choice) tucked away in the browser's sidebar. The video shows a small calendar icon ticking down until the user's next meeting. Hovering over it brings up more of the calendar, including several more upcoming meetings. Once the meeting is about to start, it pops up below the calendar, where you can now tap on "Join" to go straight to the video call.

Read more
It’s the end of an era for Android
A photo of many Android figurines on a white wall.

The Android world is changing.

On June 12, Dave Burke announced on X (formerly Twitter) that he's stepping down from his role as the VP of engineering for Android. In his post, Burke says he is staying with Google's parent company, Alphabet, is temporarily remaining on the Android team as an "advisor," and is looking for new opportunities in "AI/bio."

Read more