Like it or not, Google has infiltrated nearly every aspect of our daily lives, whether we’re updating calendars, booking flights, navigating to a destination, or just trying to figure out who that one actor in that one movie was. And yet, for as often as many of us use Google’s services, from Google Drive to Google Maps to Gmail, there are countless hidden features and tricks that many of us never even knew existed. As such, in celebration of Google’s 20th birthday last week, some of Google’s top brass put together a collection of tips users might find handy.
Be sure to check out the full blog post for the complete collection of tips from Google directors, managers, and vice presidents, but here are some of the most fascinating tips for each of Google’s biggest services:
Search
- If you want to watch a show, but don’t know where to find it, you can just search the word “watch” followed by the name of the show and Google will show you all the sites and service from which it is available.
Maps
- You can search for the terminal of the airport at which you are landing (or departing from) in order to get “the lay of the land, including nearby gates, lounges, restaurants and stores.”
Gmail
- Sick of manually copying and pasting information from an email in order to create a reminder or a calendar event? Just open the tasks on the side panel of Gmail instead and drag and drop your emails there.
Google Drive
- Google Drive is capable of making any text that appears in images or PDFs you upload searchable.
Google Play
- When you’re watching a movie in Google Play and can’t remember where you’ve seen that actor before, you can pause at any time and tap on the circle around their face to get more information.
Again these are just a few of the tips that were especially compelling to me, but there are plenty more on the Google blog. If you’re looking to take full advantage of Google’s services, be sure to check it out.
