Where is Google Now?!

[rachells]

I used to have a Nexus 4, and I like google now a lot, and I swear it's just not on my nexus 5. I don't know what I did. When I took it out of the box, it got some over-the-air update; I don't know if google now was present before but it isn't now.

The phone doesn't let me swipe left from the homescreen (or install any app icons to the left of my current homescreen) - it just does the "edge of your screens" white rotate gesture thing. If I swipe up from the home key, I just get the typical google search, no cards. If I install the google now widget, all that I get is a transparent box saying "Get Google Now" and if I click on it, the normal google search opens (again, just search and a list of my most recent terms, no cards).

Also, have lockscreen widgets been eradicated since the Jellybean? I miss that.

Am I doing something wrong? I really can't find it. No app called google now, but I don't think there usually is (is there?). I definitely haven't deleted anything unless it was something so easy that it could have happened in my pocket. But I haven't ever seen google now since I got the phone yesterday.

 

[qnet]

I used to have a Nexus 4, and I like google now a lot, and I swear it's just not on my nexus 5. I don't know what I did. When I took it out of the box, it got some over-the-air update; I don't know if google now was present before but it isn't now.

The phone doesn't let me swipe left from the homescreen (or install any app icons to the left of my current homescreen) - it just does the "edge of your screens" white rotate gesture thing. If I swipe up from the home key, I just get the typical google search, no cards. If I install the google now widget, all that I get is a transparent box saying "Get Google Now" and if I click on it, the normal google search opens (again, just search and a list of my most recent terms, no cards).

Also, have lockscreen widgets been eradicated since the Jellybean?

Am I doing something wrong? I really can't find it. No app called google now, but I don't think there usually is (is there?). I definitely haven't deleted anything unless it was something so easy that it could have happened in my pocket. But I haven't ever seen google now since I got the phone yesterday.

I'm not sure about the google now but if you go into settings, then to security, you can check to enable lockscreen widgets. If I remember correctly, I set up Google now during the first boot up after the update. I think it was part of the setup process.

 

[rachells]

"since the Jellybean"...wow, I'm tired. Sorry people, I promise I'm really not your aging mother.

I found the setting to enable lockscreen widgets. Still can't figure out how to add them - the little box things don't pop up, just the standard unlock+camera lockscreen. Restarted the phone, still nothing.

If I maybe skipped google now during the setup process or something, any idea how I might add it now? I skipped adding my account right away, because it's easier to get in the phone and then add the google account when two step verification uses the phone in question.

 

[qnet]

"since the Jellybean"...wow, I'm tired. Sorry people, I promise I'm really not your aging mother.

I found the setting to enable lockscreen widgets. Still can't figure out how to add them - the little box things don't pop up, just the standard unlock+camera lockscreen. Restarted the phone, still nothing.

If I maybe skipped google now during the setup process or something, any idea how I might add it now? I skipped adding my account right away, because it's easier to get in the phone and then
add the google account when two step verification uses the phone in question.

The lock screen widgets, when enabled, should work by just sliding down on the clock widget on the lock screen. Then you can slide to the left and you will see a + sign. Once you select that, I group of default widgets will show up. From there you can select the one you want. I'm not sure if you have a tablet, but on a phone you can't access the "boxes" unless you slide down on the lockscreen.

With Google now, once you sign into your Google account, the next time you swipe up from home button or slide to the left, it should take you to the setup screen explaining Google now. You just go through the set up to the end until it ask you if you're in (agreeing to use Google now).

 

[greydarrah]

I had the same "where is Google Now?" situation. Here's the fix...long press on any home screen, touch the settings icon that pops up, select ON for Google Now.

 

[dmcincubus]

"since the Jellybean"...wow, I'm tired. Sorry people, I promise I'm really not your aging mother.

I found the setting to enable lockscreen widgets. Still can't figure out how to add them - the little box things don't pop up, just the standard unlock+camera lockscreen. Restarted the phone, still nothing.

If I maybe skipped google now during the setup process or something, any idea how I might add it now? I skipped adding my account right away, because it's easier to get in the phone and then add the google account when two step verification uses the phone in question.

i had this same problem. i finally went to google play store, to check to see if there was an update for google search. there wasn't, so i went ahead and searched for google search in the play store, because sometimes there are updates available but haven't appeared in your list. well, there was no update, but i went ahead and opened it through google play, and google now popped up and asked if i wanted to set it up. i just went from there. hopefully that will help you.

 

[qnet]

I had the same "where is Google Now?" situation. Here's the fix...long press on any home screen, touch the settings icon that pops up, select ON for Google Now.

Wow, yeah that's it, I forgot all about that. I hope she is still following this thread.

 

[dmcincubus]

I had the same "where is Google Now?" situation. Here's the fix...long press on any home screen, touch the settings icon that pops up, select ON for Google Now.

and yeah, that could very well work too. nice to see i wasn't the only one with that problem. definitely odd. took about 5 minutes or so to figure it out.

 

[rachells]

Lock screen stuff worked great, thank you so much!

Google now:https://support.google.com/websearch/answer/2824784?hl=en
I found it! The settings button next to widgets when I long press on the home screen let me do it. Not at all intuitive, I'd been trying for a while.

 

[pbc]

This should be a sticky (though there are too many stickies in this form as it is). It was driving me nuts, I sometimes managed to accidentally get to the widgets screen and had no idea how I had done it (must have been inadvertently pressing the screen). At one point last night I installed the BeWeather widget (after accidentally getting to the widgets screen), and it was literally draining the battery before my very eyes. Okay, well, more accurately I went from 90% battery life to 35% over night while the phone sat unused on my night table (usually I'd only lose a few percent).

Finally figured out via this thread how to get to the screen and turn it back off!