Google Search is now on iMessage

In an effort to spread even more and integrate itself even deeper, Google has announced that the Search app for iOS is now extended to iMessage.

This new feature allows users to do a quick web search and send the search results in the conversation. This is something similar to what you can see on the Gboard, Google’s own keyboard. Each search result  has a “Share” button that adds the item directly into the iMessage conversation as a card. When the other person selects the card, they are taken to Google app with the search results.

Another bonus feature is the integration of a GIF search engine. Simply tap the GIF button and you can add a GIF to the conversation.

Google also added two other features that integrate its search engine into iOS in new ways. One is a new share sheet option – now, when you share a webpage from Safari with Google, it will also show you suggestions for related content. A similar feature launched last year in the Google Search app, but is annoying as it pops up over the content when you reach the bottom of the page. With the new Share with Google functionality, it makes a bit more sense as the idea is that you could move from a webpage in Safari directly into a set of Google search results on the topic/

Also new is support for drag and drop on iPad. You can use the feature to move text, images, and links to and from the Google app, share articles from Google into iMessage, or save them into Notes for later reading.

All this is because Google wants to integrate itself deeper and more into the iOS ecosystem. For now, all of these updates are for US only.