Google is preparing several new features for its upcoming Google Search 4.1 for Android update, Android Police has learned, including a handy Google Now addition that will make its virtual assistant even more useful in a variety of instances.
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According to the publication’s teardown findings, Google Now is about to receive support for spoken notifications, which should be more than helpful to Google Now fans looking to use the service while driving or doing other things that prevent them from constantly looking at the phone’s screen.
Google Search will thus read notifications aloud when detecting that hands-free mode is active, according to code seen in the application.
Further, other interesting features are coming to Google Search, including the ability to search, whether by typing on the screen or using your voice, directly from the lock screen.
Power toggles for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and flashlight have also been spotted (including code and iconography) suggesting such features might be coming to Google Now in the future, even though it’s not clear whether they’ll be included in Google Search 4.1.
The code also revealed details about more distant updates planned for search, including Chrome and Android integration (previously reported as Project Hera) and Google Now support for non-Google service.
The full Google Search 4.1 teardown is available at the source link.
