Google is rolling out an exciting new update to its searches that will answer your questions before you’re even done typing them. The answer will appear listed directly in the autocomplete dropdown options just like search suggestions do, The Next Web reports. That way, the user doesn’t actually need to finish the sentence, or even wait for regular search results to appear.
DON’T MISS: SanDisk has lightning-fast SSD drives that are as cheap as regular hard drives
For the time being, the feature only works with queries that have short answers, mostly related to dates, but it might further be expanded in the future. The feature might be even more useful on mobile devices, saving the user time by delivering answers even faster than before.
The Search feature certainly fits well with Google’s objective of being able to predict your needs, something it’s been trying to do with Google Now for years.
“We’ve often said the perfect search engine will provide you with exactly what you need to know at exactly the right moment, potentially without you having to ask for it,” Google’s Jon Wiley told MIT’s Technology Review in late November 2012.
The search update appears to be rolling out slowly, with users already spotting it in Chrome, but also in Google apps on iOS and Android.
The two screenshots below show the feature in action on an iPhone. As you can see, a user has started to ask when Hawaii officially became a state and Google has given them a date before they finish typing. In a second example, a question starting with “when did” already delivers an answer to the question “when did Paul Walker die” on top of other autocomplete suggestions.
