Google Search now available in iMessage

Google Search is now available in iMessage, which lets users search for and share things like videos, businesses, and more when messaging others.

This means, while having a conversation with someone in the Messages app, you can tap on the new Google Search icon to bring up an interface that allows you to conduct Google searches without the need to exit the Messages app. For example, you can tap on the icon for “Food” or “Nearby” to share your favorite locations, or perform a search and share a card directly into the conversation.

Each search result includes a “Share” button that, when tapped, adds the item directly into an iMessage conversation as card. When the recipient taps on the card, they’ll go to the Google search result.

In addition, Google’s iMessage app offers a GIF search engine. This is available by tapping on the “GIF” button to the right of the search box, which will immediately load a selection of GIFs from sites like Giphy and Tenor, which you can then filter further by performing a search.

If you already have the Google app, as long as you’re updated to the newest version, it should automatically appear in the iMessage apps drawer. For now, this feature is only available in the US.

The iMessage extension is one of three new features Google announced for iOS users. The company is also building upon the related content feature it introduced last year within the Google app for iOS. Now, the ability to discover related content works with any browser on your device.

Lastly, if you are using an iPad with iOS 11, you can now drag and drop to move text, images, and links to and from the Google app. For example, a simple tap and hold on an article will now allow you to drag the link into other apps like iMessage or Notes to save for later.