Google Search App For iOS Brings Voice-Based Answers

While Siri’s voice search is nice, it has more competition in the next few days. Google recently announced that they updated the search app in iOS to now includes voice-based questions and answers. The updated app mirrors the functionality of Android Jelly bean (Android 4.1) and the functionality of Siri in many ways.

The feature and design are much like Google Now. The results are much identical to the searches on Jelly Bean. The Google Search has the ability to know what apps to launch when searching. It also includes contextual awareness of things like the location and what you are searching for. Though it sounds much like Google Now,  Google is careful to reiterate that Google Now is about information that it already knows with ambient information cards, and Voice Search is a different entity in Android Jelly bean (Android 4.1).

Google said that the app will be in the iOS app store in the coming days, though it is unknown if Apple approved the app right now. The company said that they submitted the app about a week ago and said that they are “working with Apple to get the app to users in the next few days.”

Even though Google Search is much like Siri, Siri is only currently available for the iPhone4S (and will be available on the third generation iPad when iOS 6 comes out). Google new Search app will allow more Apple portable to have features that are similar to Apple’s Siri for the iPhone 4S.

Google has released a demonstration video showing the abilities the new Google Search app can do.