Google's speedier iPhone app '20 percent' faster

Google speeds up its signature search app for the iPhone, disabling one default feature to hasten the searching process.

Jessica Dolcourt Senior Director, Commerce & Content Operations

Jessica Dolcourt is a passionate content strategist and veteran leader of CNET coverage. As Senior Director of Commerce & Content Operations, she leads a number of teams, including Commerce, How-To and Performance Optimization. Her CNET career began in 2006, testing desktop and mobile software for Download.com and CNET, including the first iPhone and Android apps and operating systems. She continued to review, report on and write a wide range of commentary and analysis on all things phones, with an emphasis on iPhone and Samsung. Jessica was one of the first people in the world to test, review and report on foldable phones and 5G wireless speeds. Jessica began leading CNET's How-To section for tips and FAQs in 2019, guiding coverage of topics ranging from personal finance to phones and home. She holds an MA with Distinction from the University of Warwick (UK).

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Jessica Dolcourt

May 17, 2011 12:19 p.m. PT

Revamped Google Search on iPhone — Google hopes its revamp (right) offers up a cleaner layout for finding links. Google

Google released an update to its Google Search app for iPhone today, claiming that the new and improved app is up to 20 percent more responsive than the previous version.

Interestingly, Google has decided that one of its signature features slows down performance and might erode accuracy. Just Talk uses the iPhone's accelerometer to activate voice search when you lift the phone to your ear, and was quite the stir when it first debuted. It's now turned off by default, though you can enable it in the settings and you can still manually launch a voice search by pressing the microphone button in the app.

In addition, Google has jiggered the search results to make them more finger-friendly. Fonts are larger, and you no longer have to precisely tap a link to open the page; you can just hit just the target area. It looks like the concept of "fat fingered" selection has sunk in.

Google Search is free, and it's available in the App Store for devices running iOS 3.0 and above.

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