Apple redesigned the look and feel of their iOS firmware when they introduced iOS 7 earlier this year. A lot of app developers redesigned their apps to integrate with the new look system and Google who was slow off the mark has finally decided to update its Search app for the iPhone and iPad, giving a synchronous look with iOS 7 design elements and making the experience full-screen natively.
The newly designed Search app now runs full-screen natively, which means that as soon as you launch the app on your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad, it will hide the status bar and cover the entire screen. Then, when you swipe to pull up Google Now, the status bar reappears, which indicates that there might still be areas to extend the experience further. However, Google Now cards themselves are fully stretched now, spanning the width of the screen for each individual card.
The new search app also has deeper integration with Google's Maps app for iOS. One thing we have noticed is that Maps search results are pulled much faster from within Google Search, with the option to toggle to the native Maps app (if installed) through a transparent button in the top right corner. Within maps, since they're loaded with Google search, you have the ability to jump back to Search app right from within Maps.
There is one last thing that is specific to the iPad, where Google has added the ability to search for images within the Search app, eliminating the need to fire up your browser and find images that you want to look at.
This Google Search for iOS update indicates that the company is heading in the right direction with promoting its user base on its biggest mobile/tablet platform competitor, and at the same time, providing a similar experience for both Android and iOS. The newly revised Google Search app is now available to download from the app store so be sure to let us know what you think of the new features.