Joe Maring / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Google is adding a new “Ask” button to web search results on its Android app.
- The button basically opens AI Mode with the webpage added as context, so you can ask specific questions.
- Along with this, Google is also testing attachment options for Files and Drive in AI Mode.
Have you ever tapped a link from Google Search results, and then immediately encountered something else you wanted to search for? Unless you use Chrome (or another Android web browser) to open Google search results in new tabs, you’d know how jarring it is when you hastily open another search sequence and basically end up overwriting the previous search. Thankfully, Google is finally looking to solve that issue with a new feature.
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When you tap the Ask button, the webpage is attached as context for a fresh query in AI Mode, where you can ask questions about information on the webpage, going a step beyond the “Summarize page” feature in Gemini.
If you want to return to the original webpage, it’s easy to click out by tapping the downward-facing arrow in the top-right corner.
We’re already seeing reports of this feature being tested in the Google app for Android, including a tip from Telegram user @Eopaque. We were also able to activate the Ask button on our own devices.
In addition to using web pages for context, AI Mode in the Google app on Android, we could also see a new option to attach files saved on your phone. This feature has yet to go live, but we were able to activate it by fiddling with version 17.24.25 of the Google app on Android. Interestingly, however, AI Mode in Chrome already lets you attach files.
In addition to Files, we’ve also learned that Google is working on an option to attach files directly from your Drive. We’re unsure of when these bits roll out to users widely.
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