Google Now: Cool or Creepy?

For a year and a half, on my Android phone, I’ve been using Google Now. It is an app that utilizes all of the data that I allow Google to know about me, my search queries, calendar events, location, and traveling habits to provide potentially relevant information before or as I need it. With my recent trip to Colorado, I’ve seen more features of Google Now become visible to me. A friend and I at times discuss the app and wonder if it is really cool or kinda creepy (but probably both).

One of the very early features of Google Now, that I remember being advertised, was its ability to remember where you parked your car. It uses the phone’s sensor to detect when you have possibly stopped and left a vehicle. When in a vehicle, you are moving significantly faster than when you are walking away from your vehicle. It uses this information to remember where you likely left your car. If you are the type who has a difficult time remembering where in the mall parking lot or which downtown street you left your car, this part of Google Now will help you.

I use Google for damn near all of my web searches. So Google will trends in topics I Google frequently within a period of time. One example, is that for a few nights in a row I was searching for information about the night sky. Google Now then provided a section about astronomy the next night. A similar thing has happened with my reading news articles (found through Google News) about the Edward Snowden leaks. I frequently have a section about news on Edward Snowden.

Similar to the car parking example, Google uses my phone location services data to figure out places I frequently go to. On Sundays I often go over to a friend’s house. Google knows this so Sunday morning it displays information how long it will take to get there and with suggested directions. With my Colorado trip, it learned I was staying which house I was staying at. When my friends and I left to go see some sight or head into town for groceries Google recognized that and provided directions and drive time back to the house I was staying at.

As I’ve mentioned I recently went on a trip to Colorado. When I purchased my plane tickets I was emailed information about my flights (departing time, arriving time, transiting cities and flight numbers). Google and GMail automatically imported this information into my Google Calendar which Google Now also has access to. Twenty-four hours before my first flight was scheduled to leave, Google Now started showing me information about my flight. It told me which gate I would be departing from, which one I was currently slated to arrive at in my destination city and the on-time status of the flight.

It has been interesting seeing how Google take all the the data that I give them and provides information to me. In many respects it is kind of cool. It can save me the effort of hunting down some of this information (like my flight’s on-time status). At the same time, there is a bit of a creepiness factor at how much Google really does know about me, where I am at any given moment, where it thinks I’ll be going and other habits I have. I know it will turn some people off. For myself, I’m willing to let it continue and enjoy the usefulness of the app.