Google is adding yet another trick to its search box’s repertoire. Now, if you’re searching from a device that knows your location, you can get information about a place without specifying it.
As Android Police points out, the Google search box will now accept words like “here” and “this place” instead of proper nouns, so long as you’re standing near the place in question. If you’re standing next to the Empire State Building, you can ask “How tall is this building?” and Google will show you how tall the Empire State Building is. Here’s a list of some other known commands:
- What is this museum?
- When does this restaurant open?
- How tall is this? (when standing next to a tower)
- When was this built? (for monuments)
- What’s the name of this church?
- What’s the phone number for this pharmacy?
The feature is slowly going live for users in multiple countries. It’s unclear if this is intended to be a wide rollout or just a test, but it’s worth giving it a shot.
Google Geocontextual Search Live With Multiple Commands, Like “OK, Google – What’s The Phone Number For This Place?” [Android Police]
Comments
One response to “You Can Now Ask Google For Information About Places You’re Near”
Just remember though, even when your phone’s GPS is on High Accuracy mode, it still will only be accurate within a 100 meter range (radius I think) so you can still ask google “How tall is this building” but just dont expect it to get it right all the time. It could end up telling you about another building, or none at all, depending on how many skyscrapers and other interferences are around you that may result in piss poor accuracy.