Suppose you are searching for tow truck companies near Abingdon, how do you go about it? It is now easy to perform a local search, guided by the Google Nearby feature. Google’s Nearby makes it possible to interact with what’s around you. The nearby feature helps you locate and communicate with devices that are close to you, mostly about 30m of proximity.
Google location-based feature for mobile devices makes it easier to find restaurants, ATMS, Bars, Towing Companies and more, that are near you, when you are in an unfamiliar area. This feature is now available on the Google Homepage of iPhones and Android Phones with OS 2.0.1 or later.
How it Works
To perform a successful search, you must first allow Google to identify your location. This is done by enabling My Location Feature on your phone. Once you do that, you shall see your current location, together with a “Near Me Now” link. This link appears under the search box on the Google mobile homepage.
If you are looking for anything outside the categories of Restaurants, Bars, ATMs, Banks or Coffee Shops, you click on “Browse More Categories” section. Local search gives you more options to find what you need correctly.
The Nearby Connections is a peer-to-peer networking API that allows apps to easily discover and connect with others and exchange data with nearby devices in real time. This type of connection does not need devices to be within the same network for them to communicate.
The nearby feature also allows for Nearby Messages, Nearby Connections and Nearby Notifications. You can discover and exchange information with other devices without having to be on the same network. For nearby links, you can find other nearby devices and create high-bandwidth peer-to-peer connections for real time cross-device experiences.
Suppose you are in an unfamiliar territory and you need a local towing service or a roadside service. It’s high time you get your phone out, activate location feature and search for whatever you are in need of, that is near you.
We all know how frustrating and time consuming it can be when you are stuck by the road due to vehicle breakdown. It can be a flat battery, flat tire, running out of fuel or a simple lockout. In worst cases, it may be a collision where you end up in multiple pileups. You may get even more frustrated by a lack of knowledge of the local place. If such a scenario happens, make use of local search to identify where to get local services.
