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Google has updated two of its mobile applications for smartphones to add more features and make them easier to use.
First, Google Search for Apple iOS devices has been tweaked to make it more responsive when finding information and the way in which search results are presented has been improved, too. Specifically, the font size used for results listings has been enlarged following feedback by some users, and an entire result can now be tapped to see the page it links too, rather than just its title — see below.
The latest version of Google Search for iOS is available via iTunes.
Google has also updated its mobile Maps application, which can be accessed using the web browser on an Apple iOS or Google Android device by visiting maps.google.com.
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The new web app now bears a closer resemblance to the Maps app that’s built into Apple iOS and Android, but since it’s wholly online, it always packs more up-to-date features — smartphone manufactures need to issue software updates to make them available from built-in apps.
So, the Google Maps web app can now pinpoint your location using the smartphone’s built-in GPS, provide driving, cycling and walking directions from point to point, show traffic information and be used to access any locations saved using the main desktop web site.
Our small amount of testing still showed the phone’s built-in Maps app to be considerably faster, even when using a Wi-Fi connection, but the more up-to-date features might make the web app more useful under certain circumstances, we suppose.