Your guide to using Google Assistant and the Google search app on Android & iPhone

Google Assistant has now come to Android phones beyond Google’s own Pixel. It’s a significant change to how Google’s previously offered search on mobile devices. It’s also the latest in a wide variety of ways people can search with Google on Android, as well as iPhone.

Google Assistant is Google’s next generation way of searching with Google. It’s a radical shift in particular because it forces people to speak their searches, rather than type. But the Google search app remains as an option for those who want a choice between spoken and typed searches. It’s just a bit more difficult to reach now, no longer a home button or icon push away.

Google Now, Google’s predictive search feature, remains active. But it’s no longer called Google Now and isn’t integrated into Google Assistant. It remains part of the separate Google search app.

If all this makes your head hurt, trying to figure out how to use Google on your phone, don’t worry. We have a full guide covering the many ways to Google on both Android and iPhone. See our full article on Search Engine Land.

About The Author

Danny Sullivan

Danny Sullivan was a journalist and analyst who covered the digital and search marketing space from 1996 through 2017. He was also a cofounder of Third Door Media, which publishes Search Engine Land, Marketing Land, MarTech Today and produces the SMX: Search Marketing Expo and MarTech events. He retired from journalism and Third Door Media in June 2017. You can learn more about him on his personal site & blog He can also be found on Facebook and Twitter.