Google just announced five new updates to its predictive search, with some updates arriving this week. You can already experiment with the improved search bar on Google Chrome and ChromeOS devices.
The search giant announced the update in a blog post on Wednesday promising the improvements will make browsing with Chrome’s address bar “even faster.”.
Here are the highlights:
Smarter Autocompletion
Whenever you have a question, you want to find the answers fast. With an updated address bar, the search engine will better be able to predict what you’re looking for, even if you don’t get the beginning of the URL right. For example, when typing flights, Chrome’s omnibar on the desktop will suggest taking you to Google Flights. It may also take into consideration personal preferences such as preferred airline. No word on when this change is coming to mobile.
Dynamic results
The search bar in Chrome now boasts increased responsiveness, allowing users to receive faster and more visible results as soon as they begin typing the first letter of their query. This, combined with a new layout should mean faster and more readable access to the information you need. This update is on the desktop, only.
Typo Corrections
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been rapidly typing and misspelled a url; swapping vowels or some other irregularity. Chrome will now detect these typos and immediately show what sites are similar enough based on your previously visited websites.
Bookmarks
For users who rely heavily on bookmarks to keep track of their favorite web pages, this update is a game-changer. Chrome now lets you search within your bookmark folders, making it more convenient to find those tucked-away pages. Whether you have an extensive collection of bookmarks or simply want to access a specific page more efficiently, this feature will help you stay organized and find what you need with ease.
Just remember that to search bookmarks through the address bar, you need to include the bookmark folder name.
Popular sites
Ever found yourself in need of an answer but unsure where to look? Google has addressed this dilemma with its latest update. Even if you haven’t previously visited certain websites, the search engine will now suggest popular sites related to your query. This feature ensures that you’re never left in the dark and can quickly discover sources of information through natural-language queries.
In all, these appear to be some useful quality-of-life updates to the address bar we all use so often. Now it’s our turn to see how well they work.
