Google had earlier announced that it will soon be allowing users to search for content within applications. For example, if you search for a movie, then you will be prompted for a search result that will open inside the IMDB app if you have it installed. This feature was announced by Google sometime back and has been in use for a limited geographic area. Now, Google has expanded the availability of this in app search to global users.
In addition to announcing the availability of the In App search, Google has also introduced twenty four new apps that will be supported by this feature. According to Google, the following are the new applications
500px, AOL, BigOven, Bleacher Report, Booking.com, Eventbrite, Glassdoor, Goodreads, Huffington Post, Merriam-Webster, Pinterest, Realtor.com, Seeking Alpha, TalkAndroid, TheFreeDictionary, The Journal, TripAdvisor, Tumblr, Urbanspoon, Wattpad, Yellow Pages, Zagat, Zappos, and Zillow
This feature is tied to Google Play app links in search and what Google is doing is that it is creating a web link with a location that is inside the application. Developers will have to support this feature and enable “deep links” and there is documentation to guide the process. Google calls this “App Indexing” and though it is a small feature, it could be the next big thing for app developers.