Iphone guy needs to search within apps

[krwilkins]

I've been using iPhones for 5 years and am bored with them. I got a Pixel 4 and am working on learning the phone and Android and trying to get things to work for me.

On iPhone I have the spotlight type search feature that searches many things on the phone including within some apps. So, for example, if I perform a search for "Johnny Apple Camping" the results would show Johnny Apples contact card, notes within Evernote that included the words Johnny Apple Camping and it might show photos of Johnny Apple.

Does the Pixel 4 have a similar type of universal search feature? I tried the google assistant but it doesn't seem to be searching on anything other than the web.

 

[aggie]

I don't use apps like evernote so can't answer that but most of what you are asking can be done through Google Assistant. Squeeze the bottom of the phone and you can ask it to perform specific tasks by voice or hit the keyboard icon and you can type a search or task function.

 

[krwilkins]

Thanks Aggie. I tried Google Assistant and it was only returning results from the web. It was not finding my contacts, appointments, reminders, etc. Maybe I am missing a setting in Google Assistant.

 

[aggie]

Thanks Aggie. I tried Google Assistant and it was only returning results from the web. It was not finding my contacts, appointments, reminders, etc. Maybe I am missing a setting in Google Assistant.

Make sure you don't just use the google search. Did you squeeze the bottom of your phone to activate assistant? Also if typing make sure to hit the send button. It doesn't pull up my contacts until I hit send otherwise I just see prepopulated names from Google.

If I type in an app name, say Facebook for instance, it immediately opens it. Alternatively I can say open Facebook. If I want to see photos of someone I can say "show me photos of _____" and it opens Google Photos and shows pics of that person.

Its definitely not as elegant and a tad bit more confusing than the iPhone's spotlight search but I find it to be a more powerful tool overall.

 

[krwilkins]

Make sure you don't just use the google search. Did you squeeze the bottom of your phone to activate assistant? Also if typing make sure to hit the send button. It doesn't pull up my contacts until I hit send otherwise I just see prepopulated names from Google.

If I type in an app name, say Facebook for instance, it immediately opens it. Alternatively I can say open Facebook. If I want to see photos of someone I can say "show me photos of _____" and it opens Google Photos and shows pics of that person.

Its definitely not as elegant and a tad bit more confusing than the iPhone's spotlight search but I find it to be a more powerful tool overall.

Thanks again, perhaps I was using google search instead of the assistant. I'll try again tonight.

 

[Pixelfan56]

i like how ios has the pulldown menu to type in a search for apps but the app drawer is in alphabetical order and i place my most used apps on home screen anyway, also recently used come up when you first swipe up from bottom. I dont like how IOS has only a 4 app wipe display where we have 5 wide....the iphone is a wider phone and should have more apps displayed horizontally than it does or one should be able to customize to their liking but that is IOS, one size fits all

 

[strikeIII]

I've been using iPhones for 5 years and am bored with them. I got a Pixel 4 and am working on learning the phone and Android and trying to get things to work for me.

On iPhone I have the spotlight type search feature that searches many things on the phone including within some apps. So, for example, if I perform a search for "Johnny Apple Camping" the results would show Johnny Apples contact card, notes within Evernote that included the words Johnny Apple Camping and it might show photos of Johnny Apple.

Does the Pixel 4 have a similar type of universal search feature? I tried the google assistant but it doesn't seem to be searching on anything other than the web.

Unfortunately, this is one thing the iPhone excels in over the Pixel is the spotlight search. I personally don't use it much but I can see how it can be very useful.

 

[Rukbat]

Apple does a lot of things that other systems don't - and keeps them proprietary, while most companies use either open source or, at least, open ideas. (When RCS matures to the point that iMessage looks primitive, Apple will be able to switch to RCS, because it's an open protocol with a universal profile.)

(Apple also allows text + picture clipboard operations - that's also a proprietary idea.)

 

[strikeIII]

Apple does a lot of things that other systems don't - and keeps them proprietary, while most companies use either open source or, at least, open ideas. (When RCS matures to the point that iMessage looks primitive, Apple will be able to switch to RCS, because it's an open protocol with a universal profile.)

(Apple also allows text + picture clipboard operations - that's also a proprietary idea.)

Just to be clear tho, this is a Pixel limitation. My Samsung Note10+ does a spotlight search like the iPhones.

 

[Mike Dee]

Unfortunately, this is one thing the iPhone excels in over the Pixel is the spotlight search. I personally don't use it much but I can see how it can be very useful.

I can't check because I no longer have the Pixel but I seem to recall a similar feature.

 

[strikeIII]

I can't check because I no longer have the Pixel but I seem to recall a similar feature.

Maybe it's something that can be enabled but I couldn't find it. Because it only wants to use the Google Search bar so everything is pulled from the web when you try to search for something. If you use the Assistant you have to be specific in your search of what you're looking for.

 

[Mike Dee]

I've been using iPhones for 5 years and am bored with them. I got a Pixel 4 and am working on learning the phone and Android and trying to get things to work for me.

On iPhone I have the spotlight type search feature that searches many things on the phone including within some apps. So, for example, if I perform a search for "Johnny Apple Camping" the results would show Johnny Apples contact card, notes within Evernote that included the words Johnny Apple Camping and it might show photos of Johnny Apple.

Does the Pixel 4 have a similar type of universal search feature? I tried the google assistant but it doesn't seem to be searching on anything other than the web.

My Google assistant searches from more than just the web. I don't have a pixel at to he moment but my Samsung finds more stuff including contacts from the app drawer finder search bar

 

[Mike Dee]

Just to be clear tho, this is a Pixel limitation. My Samsung Note10+ does a spotlight search like the iPhones.

Is that the one in your app drawer called finder?

 

[strikeIII]

Is that the one in your app drawer called finder? View attachment 312410

Yes. It works similar to iPhones but instead of swiping to the side you just swipe up to the app drawer.

 

[gebco]

I use the BlackBerry suite of apps which includes Device Search. It seems to do what you're looking for.

Edit: never mind, works best only with the full suite of BlackBerry apps.