Google has now enabled the ability to search within apps on Android phones. The In Apps search feature allows Android users to look for content within their installed apps using the Google app.
Currently, the new In Apps search mode has limited capabilities. Users can search for contacts and messages in their email app, find a favorite song in their music app, or look up a video in their video streaming app. In the coming months, integration with several other apps will be added, including messaging apps, professional networking services, note-taking apps, and task management apps. Users will also have the option to choose which apps appear in In Apps search via the Settings menu.
Since In Apps search is conducted entirely on one’s phone, it works even without a WiFi or cellular connection. The first handset to feature the new In Apps search mode is the LG V20, which is also the first phone to ship with Google’s latest mobile operating system, Android 7.0 Nougat. The LG V20 will include a home screen shortcut to access In Apps search with a single tap.
Additional details about the LG V20 are sparse at this point; more information is set to be announced on Tuesday, September 6th, at an event in San Francisco. In Apps search is exclusive to Nougat, so other handsets that upgrade to the latest Android OS will presumably receive the new search mode as well.
We will be following the LG V20 event next week and will report back with more details about In Apps search if they become available.
