Google Assistant Now Displays Standard Search Results and Ads on Android
Google updates its Assistant on Android to match the visual style of standard Google Search, bringing interactive tools and fuller web results directly to the interface.
Google updates the Assistant on Android phones to provide richer visual responses that match the look of standard Google Search. When users ask for events or stock quotes, the interface now displays the same interactive graphs and detailed layouts seen in a mobile browser instead of the previous pared-down versions. The Assistant also gains built-in utility tools like mortgage calculators, color pickers, tip calculators, and a bubble level.
In a controversial move, the Assistant now shows standard Google Search layouts when it decides a list of websites is the best answer to a query. This change replaces the old, clunky vertical boxes with a familiar web search experience. However, this update also introduces the first-ever advertisements into the Assistant interface, as these standard search results include the usual Google Search ads.
Google clarifies that these ad-supported search results appear only for a very small number of queries where web links are the most appropriate answer. The company also notes that advertisers cannot specifically target Assistant users or gain extra data about them. These new visual features and search capabilities are currently rolling out to Android phones in the United States.