Importantly, this is becoming available before Android itself will be able to do that with the Google Now on Tap feature in the upcoming Android Marshmallow operating system. It’s like an on demand service that could bring you movie show times when in an email string with a friend who wants to catch a flick or restaurant reviews after your sister mentions a specific lunch spot in a text conversation.
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While we have seen Google’s advertisements grow richer and more interesting over the years, placing sponsored video ads in the search results is quite a step up. With Marshmallow not set to hit the public until later this year, it gave Microsoft a chance to beat Google to it. And it has done just that in its latest Bing app for Android. The idea is that you shouldn’t have to leave your current app to search for information you’ve just come across.
Microsoft Bing released Snapshots on Tap for its Android search app that analyzes the content on the smartphone screen, in any app, and serves up relevant information as an overlay. It binds to the Google Now gesture on your phone, which is either a swipe up from the home button or a long-press on a physical home button.
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Microsoft is launching Bing Snapshots initially for Android, but the feature will eventually be available for Windows 10 mobile and desktop as well. Not anymore, if you have a device that is running a custom ROM that supports the Cyanogen Theme Engine, you can get the new bootloader for your device. For Microsoft and Google, there’s an additional incentive behind the improvements: driving users to their respective assistants has the potential to boost use of the connected search engines. It’s possible by tapping into the knowledge and action graph API for developers, so whether it’s a music or a messaging app, users won’t need to “go to search” in order to locate relevant information related to what they’re doing in that particular app.
