Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

Google’s iOS app revs up to high speeds, thanks to Accelerated Mobile Pages

By Kyle Wiggers Published May 31, 2016

Did you notice the Google app on your iPhone loading a bit faster than usual? It’s not the three cups of coffee you had this morning — Google is rolling out an update that significantly improves search and load times. And it comes packed with other goodies, too, including new Google Now cards and keyboard shortcuts for iOS users.

The iOS Google app’s speed improvements are thanks to a number of optimizations under the hood, Google said, and amount to measurable gains across the board. iPad users will see as much as a 10-percent speed improvement. Those enhancements alone will save users “a combined 6.5 million hours this year,” Google said, but the addition of Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) support will make searches even quicker.

Recommended Videos

AMP is a Google-led effort to reduce webpage overhead with better code and faster servers, which means that webpages load much faster. On average, Google claims these pages load four times faster and use 10 times less data than equivalent non-AMP pages. The updated Google app on iOS will highlight AMP content with a rotating carousel within the Google News section, and denote AMP in search results with a lightning bolt icon next to links.

Beyond speedier searches and load times, the Google app is gaining new “card” skills. Starting today, sports video replays will begin appearing in Now, Google’s informational assistant. Need to get your Pittsburgh Penguins and Golden State Warriors fix? Highlights from top playoff games and major sporting events like the summer Olympics play right within the app.

The Google app is also gaining improved listings for local business and keyboard shortcuts for iPad. Search for a nearby restaurant or post office, for example, and Google will graph the business’s busiest hours, a feature that was previously somewhat hidden. And if you’ve got an iPad with an attached external keyboard, you can access a list of shortcuts by pressing and holding the “Command” key.

Ready to upgrade your search experience? Don’t fret — the upgraded Google app is already in the App Store.

Download for iOS

Former Staff Writer

Kyle Wiggers is a writer, Web designer, and podcaster with an acute interest in all things tech. When not reviewing gadgets…

Topics

Phones

The dream of uber cheap phones for kids and grandparents is effectively dead, thanks to AI

AI's demand for memory chips has made budget smartphones unprofitable to build.

Electronics, Mobile Phone, Phone

That $100 phone you were going to grab for your kid's first device, or hand down to grandma, could become a dream in a while. AI's hunger for memory chips just made the entire budget phone category borderline impossible to build.

So how bad are we actually talking?

Phones

Apple’s new Upgrade program launches on Tuesday with major changes

Apple's new leasing program might drop AppleCare coverage from the bundle.

iPhone 17 Pro Max

Buying your next Apple device could soon look like leasing a car. Apple is launching its new Apple Upgrade program on Tuesday, July 28, replacing new enrollments in the long-running iPhone Upgrade Program with a lease-based option that covers iPhones, iPads, Macs, and Apple Watches.

Backed by Klarna, the program is designed to lower the upfront cost of Apple's premium devices, but it is also raising questions about whether you'll actually own what you're paying for.

Phones

Setting up your dorm desk? These are the phone stands I’d actually spend my money on

From a $2 folding stand to a three-in-one Apple charging dock, these are the phone stands worth setting up this semester.

Analog Clock, Clock, Electronics

A phone stand is one of the smallest purchases on any back-to-school list, but it's also one of the easiest to get wrong, especially since there are dozens of options available on Amazon. A good phone stand is one that does its job well and, more importantly, doesn't put much of a dent in your budget.

This is one of those product categories where you don’t need to spend big, unless a MagSafe dock or a multi-device charging stand is genuinely useful for your desk or dorm setup. That is why this list begins with the most affordable options and works its way up to the more expensive ones. From a two-pack that costs about as much as a coffee to a three-in-one Apple charging station, I picked eight of Amazon's best-reviewed phone stands worth considering this back-to-school season.