Google’s search function took a significant leap forward this past week. Search results have begun to include content inside of apps that does not have corresponding content on the web. Google said it has been indexing app content for a couple of years, but
until now, Google has only been able to show information from apps that have matching web content. 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. For example, if you need a hotel for your spur-of-the-moment trip to Chicago, search results will now include results from the HotelTonight app.
And, in some cases at least, you’ll be able to click the search results and interact with the app, such as book a hotel, even if you don’t have it loaded on your device. You also have the option to download the app right there.
At the moment, there’s only a handful of apps being indexed this way, but that’s likely to expand quickly.
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