Google has revealed that it will soon be bringing an open API platform for Google Now. The open API will allow most of the apps on the device to display information to the user. The step has been taken in lieu of the huge expansion being done to the current pilot program, which works with 40 third-party services. There has been no revelation regarding the launch timeline for the feature.
While speaking at the SXSW (South by Southwest conferences) session, Director of Product Management for Google Now, Aparna Chennapragada, said that an open API for Google Now is currently under development. She also revealed the working, handling and display coming from competing apps to Google Now after the launch of open API. Google Now will also be displaying data from apps based on the user’s app usage data. For example, if a user is more hooked to apps such as Facebook than Twitter, Google Now cards will be displaying Facebook’s information instead of Twitter.
Moreover, Google also mentioned that it surveyed thousands of users in order to identify the on-going trends and patterns so as to accrue the relevant data to be shown on the Google Now cards fetched from a single app in a certain situation. Chennapragada also stated that the personal experience of team members further helped in understanding what information is required by the user in a certain situation.
Google Now would also deliver timely notifications, which are more personally essential to the user, implied on the user-specific wants, such as, how long the flight would take to reach the airport. Chennapragada further added that Google Now might also feature ‘Easter eggs’, like ‘flip a coin’. Google Now on Android 5.0 Lollipop smartphones started offering the ability to toggle on or off varied features such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Flashlight by giving out simple voice commands.
