Google is launching a new experimental Google app for Windows in its Labs program, which is designed to help you find what you need much faster. The app lets you search for information without having to switch windows or interrupt what you’re doing, but you have to enable it first.
With this new app, you can press Alt + Space, and a Google search bar will pop up. This will let you search for information from your computer files, installed apps, Google Drive files, and, of course, the web.
This is a lot like the Copilot app that is built into Windows 11. It’s basically an extension of the company’s search engine, so as Copilot uses Bing, the Google app uses Google. It seems a lot less invasive than Copilot since it is a small search box instead of a whole window that pops up. Also, it takes the combination of two buttons that are rarely pressed together, so there isn’t much opportunity for accidental presses, unlike Copilot, which is begging to interrupt your day by being in the right Ctrl spot.
The Google app for Windows also comes with Google Lens built in. This feature lets you select and search for anything on your screen. You can use it to translate images or text, get help with homework problems, and more. This is a lot like ChatGPT’s desktop app, which can use your screen to help you out.
I have used Google services to try to solve homework problems for my child, who is in middle school. It has been terrible because Gemini and Google’s AI is usually wrong. I honestly believe it’d be better to guess than to use these services because of how consistently incorrect these AI are. So I’d say use it for translation or something else, if the AI is the same as Gemini or the search AI Google has that has been wrong more often than Gemini in my experience.
On top of that, you can get deeper AI-powered responses in what Google is calling AI Mode. This is great for those who need a more comprehensive answer than what a typical search result might provide. You can then continue to explore with follow-up questions and helpful links. So, for example, if you’re a student, you could use AI Mode to get a more in-depth answer about a topic you are writing about, then ask a follow-up question to get even more information.
This experiment is part of Google’s Search Labs and is currently only available to users in the US who are 13 or older. You also need to be on a Windows 10 or newer desktop device and have a personal Google Account. All you have to do is go to the Labs product page for the Google app and toggle it on. It’s important to remember that this is still an app in testing, so it has some known limitations.
