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This article was published on November 18, 2015

Google now lets you stream mobile apps from search results


Google now lets you stream mobile apps from search results

User acquisition on mobile is difficult, and companies are chasing after any new method to get more customers to click that ‘Download’ button. According to a report from Re/code, Google has introduced a way for apps to stream their content directly on mobile through search results.

When a user searches for, say, a hotel booking in a city, Google will surface results from HotelTonight’s app in addition to standard search results. If a user — equipped with a phone that runs Android Lollipop or Marshmallow — clicks on the HotelTonight results and is on good enough WiFi, then Google will directly stream the HotelTonight app onto the phone.

And this is not deep-linking — they don’t even need the app on their phone to get those results.

app-stream-w-dots

Streaming capabilities will work with HotelTonight and 8 other partners. Additionally, the company is starting a small pilot program to deliver search results for apps that are mobile-only. Previously, Google would surface data from companies that had search results also catalogued on the web — now, it seems that with the right permissions, Google will be able to index mobile apps.

Death to the Download: Google Rolls Out New Way to Stream Apps From Search [Re/code]

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