Google Now has some minor updates but fun and cool improvements as well. Google Now and the Google Now Launcher for Android is your main assistance to help you get things complete and even prioritize your life. Google Now is Google’s assistance to battle with Apple’s Siri. For the most part has done a very good job at that. With Google Now, you can keep track of news, sports scores, weather, apps, and even stock and flight updates. Google Now brings you all the information right at your fingertips and even at a glance. Google Now is even more useful with the Launcher and Google Now On Tap (Which is only available on Android 6.0 Marshmallow). So we are going to take a look at what Google Now Launcher and Google Now On Tap can provide for you.
Google Now Launcher
Google Now Launcher is Google’s stock launcher that comes included on Nexus devices and some other but fewer Android devices. You can also download this app right from the Google Play Store as well. Sure, it’s not everyone’s favorite and go to launcher, but it just makes the phone feel and look simple to use! It also brings “Ok Google” to all of your home screens and even comes with now a vertical app drawer. Which at first didn’t make a big splash with everyone, but must mention that this launcher isn’t the first or only launcher with a vertical app drawer neither. You can even search in the app drawer to find apps that are hard to reach in the drawer if you don’t like the scrolling up and down. Not only this, but your apps are in Alphabetical order as well. When you do scroll, you can see certain apps icons grow bigger indicating that this app is the start of the next alphabet. The Google Now Launcher is smooth, slick, easy to use, and easy on your battery. It also should help your Android device run much faster and better.
Google Now Cards
Google Now Cards once setup to your likings, it will notify you about the weather, commute and time to leave, sports, stories and videos, and places, and even tweets and updates from apps you allow to be notified for.
You can manage your card history, turn on and off the card features, and whether or not use Google Now On Tap (Android Marshmallow feature).
Google Now On Tap
Google Now On Top is a new addition to the Google Now service. This was introduced in 2015 and is included with the latest Android OS 6.0 Marshmallow. This feature will provide you with information that is available from whatever screen you are on and using at the time. This will save you time from exiting out of an application or web page or video or stream you are in at the moment.
For example, you and a friend are texting each other back and forth about a movie and a food place to check out. By pressing and holding down the Home Button, Google will take a snapshot of the screen you are in then will bring up any information about what is in the conversation. You might see movie tickets and shows and different theaters, which locations are nearby, actors and actresses who are starring in the movies and past movies they have been in, movie trailers and apps where you can see the movie trailer. For the food places, it will give you information from a glance of food places and restaurants in the area, directions, the times open and close, phone number if available, and apps as well if they have one in the Google Play store.
Google Now On Tap can be very useful when you need more information right then and there at your fingertips. If you are on Android 6.0 and above, I recommend you give this feature a try.
For those of you not on the latest Android OS yet and can’t experience this neat feature, there is always Microsoft’s alternative from Bing One Tap, which is available for everyone to use and try out right now on the Google Play Store.
Bonus: Tips and Tricks
If all of this information isn’t enough already to convince you how great Google Now and Now On Tap really are and how useful they can be to your everyday life, then maybe these tips and tricks will have you give it a second thought. Below are top tips and tricks.
OK Google Commands
With having Google Search bar on all home screens, you can just speak to Google and give it orders without even lifting a finger or pushing a button.
Say Ok Google:
Turn On WiFi
Turn On Bluetooth
Send Text Message To…
Call Mother’s Cell Phone…
Make me a reminder for Work at 8 am…
Open Facebook app…
Search the Web for…
In the Google Search bar, you can even tell Ok Google to roll a dice and also tell it to flip a coin. It will actually do it for you and you can see the results in real time.
Search Through App Drawer from Home Screen. Another tip while using Google Now Launcher is that you can search apps by holding down the app drawer button.
Google Now On Tap won’t be turned on automatically, you will need to have Google Now Cards activated and go into the Cards settings turn on Now on Tap manually for this feature to run.
Turn On App suggestions in the Card settings. This feature will allow Google to use your app information to allow to get news, stories, and updates from your apps.
Google Now Launcher now has rotation. With the rotation option turned on in the Google Now cards settings, this will allow you to rotate your phone’s home screens and app drawer as well! You could already rotate with the most recent apps section, which was fine and ok. But, glad to see all can use their home screens in landscape mode. Especially users that have phablets. This is a plus and something that should’ve been introduced at least a couple years ago. But, still happy to see this being welcomed.
Google Now and Ok Google will also work offline without WiFi or Data. So you can still give Ok Google commands to do if you are not in range of a connection. This is pretty convenient when it comes to needing things done in a timely fashion.
Hope these tips and tricks certainly give you all a boost into trying out the Google Now Launcher and Now On Tap and using some of the Ok Google commands to help you with your everyday lives. Are you using the Google Now Launcher? Is the Google Now On Tap any use and helpful to you and have you used it? If you not on Android 6.0 yet, have you tried Microsoft’s Bing One Tap feature with Bing Search? Let us hear what you all have to say. Please leave a comment below.
