Google replaces ‘Instant Search’ with Autocomplete

Mountain View, California: Google has dropped its Instant Search option, launched in 2010 under the guidance of Marrisa Mayor, its then Vice President of User Experience and Search.

When the feature was rolled out in 2010, Mayer was quoted as saying that Google Instant was a ‘fundamental shift in search’. It is being reported that due to the increasing number of the users using internet on their mobiles now, the step has been taken. Instant Search was not as relevant on mobile as it was on the desktop, reports GN.

In 2015, mobile searches overtook desktop searches and in 2016 Google saw more than 60 percent of its traffic coming from mobile.

Instant Search doesn’t make much sense on mobile as mobile browsing involves usage of onscreen keyboards and fingers and loading results on top of the onscreen keyboard won’t lead to a good search experience.

In a statement, Google said, “We launched Google Instant back in 2010 with the goal to provide users with the information they need as quickly as possible, even as they typed their searches on desktop devices. Since then, many more of our searches happen on mobile, with very different input and interaction and screen constraints. With this in mind, we have decided to remove Google Instant, so we can focus on ways to make Search even faster and more fluid on all devices.”

What is the replacement:

Google now has Autocomplete, which works in real time and keep Geographic location, preferences in consideration to enhance users’ experience.