Credit: Google
Google on Thursday unleashed a new feature for Android that allows your phone to suggest relevant apps and websites based on your location.
The feature, dubbed Nearby, uses Eddystone beacons to determine a user’s location and supply notifications containing potentially helpful information and resources. For example, Google said Nearby might ping a user to download an airline app for free in-flight entertainment when they’re standing at their gate before a flight or pull up a barcode scanner when they’re at the grocery store.
Google said Nearby is an extension of its Physical Web project, which also uses Eddystone beacons to help users find relevant URLs based on their physical location.
To make their information pop up through Nearby, Google said developers can associate their mobile website or app with a beacon placed in a particular location. Options for Nearby notifications include webpages and opening or installing apps.
Entities who have already built location-based notifications for Nearby include The Broad Museum in Los Angeles, United Airlines, The University of Notre Dame, CVS and Airside’s Mobile Passport.
Google said Nearby is bring rolled out to Android users as part of the upcoming update to Google Play Services. The feature will work on devices running Android 4.4 or above.
The launch of Nearby follows Google’s roll out of a new “promoted pins” feature on Google Maps. Like Nearby, promoted pin advertisements bridge the gap between the physical and digital worlds by offering consumers results relevant to the world around them.
