Google today said its mobile search app is better able to grasp the meaning of requests thanks to new language-recognition techniques. Google is now breaking down queries into smaller pieces to understand the semantics behind individual phrases so it can assess the intent behind the larger question. Google says breaking down the requests in this way lets it "traverse the Knowledge Graph much more reliably to find the right facts and compose a useful answer." Google says it is able to build on this to answer ever more complex requests. Voice search already understands superlatives (tallest, shortest), but now recognizes how dates play a role in determining answers and how things relate to one another in time. For example, it is able to put these together to answer questions such as "Who was the U.S. President when the Angels won the World Series?" Google said the improved voice search will reach the Android and iOS mobile search apps in updates over the next few days. Google Search is free to download from the Google Play Store and iTunes App Store.


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