Luka Mlinar / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Google has announced that iOS users can now delete the last 15 minutes of their search history.
- The feature is coming to Android later this year.
- It’s the latest case of a Google feature or app coming to iOS first.
Google made a number of announcements at its I/O 2021 event a couple of months ago, and one of the smaller tidbits was that it would let smartphone users seamlessly delete the last 15 minutes of their search history via a button in the Google app.
It’s been a while since that announcement, but the search giant has now revealed that this feature is finally available (h/t: XDA-Developers). Unfortunately, this is limited to iOS users only right now. The firm says it’s coming to the Android version of the Google app “later this year.”
It’s a little disappointing to see Apple users once again getting some Google love ahead of the Mountain View company’s own platforms. We’ve previously seen Google launch entire apps like Gboard and Motion Stills on iOS first. More recently, Google launched YouTube Music on the Apple Watch earlier this year despite its current Wear OS platform lacking the app (Google says the Wear OS version is launching later this year).
Even in cases where an app is available on both platforms, it’s not uncommon to see the iOS version have features that are missing on the Android version. Android Police has gone so far as to compile a list of some of the more prominent missing features.
There are likely a few reasons why Google chooses to launch apps and/or features on Apple’s platforms first, such as fewer devices to target and more users (at least when comparing Watch OS to Wear OS). But it still makes for a strange situation when its own platforms are left in the lurch. Nevertheless, what do you think of the firm’s decision to launch apps and features on Apple’s devices first? Let us know via the poll below.
