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Back in the days of Android Jelly Bean, Google focused much of its AI efforts on a characteristic chosen Google Now. The idea was Google Now could scrape useful data from your account activity and proactively requite you helpful alerts and actionable notifications. Google phased out Now as a brand a while back, and the revamped Feed doesn't include the aforementioned predictive features. Now, some of them are coming back in the Google Banana. It'due south not quite Google At present, but it could still be useful.

The myriad of Google services and branding changes can brand your head spin, only nosotros're really just talking about two current products. The Google Feed is the news-focused card UI that replaced Google Now. You'll detect that to the left of your primary home screen on certain Android phones, as well equally in the Google app. Assistant is the AI y'all can remember with a long-press of the dwelling button, and is likewise what powers Google Home devices. Some old features from Google Now are moving from a semi-hidden carte in Feed to Assistant, where they'll get a fresh coat of paint.

The new proactive search features of Banana are accessible with a button tap later on you call it upward on your phone (the button looks like a small-scale inbox). Banana uses contextual information from your e-mail, agenda, and location to tell you about your twenty-four hour period. For instance, if you take a meeting on your calendar, Banana might tell y'all when y'all need to leave based on where you're going and how traffic is moving. If there are pecker notices in your email, Assistant might remind you to pay upwardly before the deadline.

Google Now cards

What Google Now looked like back in the 24-hour interval.

Google promises to add together new predictive features over time every bit well. That evidently includes an overview of notes from apps like Go on and nearby activities you might exist interested in. Google also says it volition add parking location reminders to Assistant, which was ane of my favorite features of Google Now. Information technology would just remember where you lot parked without whatsoever input from you lot.

The new features are rolling out slowly to all users, so you don't need to practice anything. At that place'south actually been a small exam running for well-nigh a month, so you lot might already have the new features. The only indication of the update will be the appearance of that new button on Android. For iOS users, the Google app volition automatically testify predictive cards when you open the app.

Now read: 25 Android Tips to Make Your Phone More Useful