Over the past few months, the Google app on Android has been testing a ‘Recent’ section to provide a visual interface to browse through previous searches. This feature now appears to be live and widely rolling out to users.
Recent is accessible from the navigation drawer of the Google app as the first entry. On first launch, users are greeted with a tutorial that can be accessed in the future from the overflow menu. This feature is aimed at helping “Rediscover topics you looked for in the Google app recently.”
The interface makes heavy use of card stacks to group together related searches and gestures like pinching and swiping. Tapping or pinching on a stack will present large screenshots that can be viewed side-by-side.
Stacks will show screenshots of websites you have clicked through, as well as different search tabs of the Google app that you’ve visited as part of a search. Tapping on any card will directly open that site or part of the Google app. Stacks and cards are arranged chronologically with a timeline present in every interface.
Individual entries can be removed with a simple swipe up gesture. This just deletes the card and not the search from your browsing history. Notably, this section is device specific and does not sync across signed in devices. Additionally, this feature can be entirely disabled by going to Settings > Account & privacy > Enable Recent.
Overall, this is a useful addition that is much simpler and more user-friendly than sifting through Chrome’s history list or taking constant screenshots to remember past searches. Recent is live on both the stable and beta version of the Google app.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
Comments