Google kills 'Now on Tap' brand that never made much sense, anyway

Google apparently dumped its "Now on Tap" brand Tuesday in favor of something a bit more straightforward: Google Assistant. 

Now on Tap, which is only a year old, allows Android users to get more detailed information about whatever's on their screen by holding down their home button. The feature, which has specifically been renamed "screen search" according to a report in 9to5Google, will work in much the same way now that it's folded into Google Assistant.

Say you're texting with someone about meeting up for dinner. Your friend messages you the name of a place you're not familiar with, so you activate Google Assistant (née Now on Tap), which "reads" the text on your screen and displays relevant information — reviews, location and so forth. Read more...