Don’t bring it to Android: Google’s iOS app forcefully adds in-text ads on

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Credit: Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority

• Google has announced a Page Annotation feature for the iOS version of the Google app.
• This feature sees Google inject links to its Knowledge Graph results on third-party websites.
• Google requires publishers to opt out via a form, but this process could take 30 days.

It’s not unheard of for Google to introduce new features to its iPhone apps first. However, the company’s latest addition to Google for iOS is bound to stir up some controversy.

Google quietly announced (via Search Engine RoundTable and 9to5Google) that it’ll inject links to its Knowledge Graph results on third-party websites. The so-called Page Annotation feature is currently limited to the Google app for iOS, but it’s unclear if the company plans to bring this to the Android app. Tapping one of these links will show a pop-up window over the third-party webpage, displaying Google’s information about people, places, or things. Users can hit the back arrow, tap the “X,” or swipe down to close the pop-up window and go back to the website in question.




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