Announced on January 9th 2019, Google is offering something called “Activity Cards”. This new feature allows you to pick up where you left off on search.
While we all go to search for quick one-off answers to our questions, you probably run into instances where you revisit a topic many times over. From staying up-to-date on a favorite hobby like homebrewing beer, and looking up new sheet pan recipes to wow the family, to the best hand exercises for a fracture after getting your cast off. There are many topics we return to.
I was recently talking to my mom about how I had found the BEST recipe for deviled eggs. But then I was racking my brain as to where I had come across it in all my meal idea searches for the holidays. Yes, I should have bookmarked it, but I didn’t and I couldn’t imagine wading through over a week worth of my search history. This is the perfect instance where Activity Cards would have surely come in handy!
The main search results help you discover brand new, related ideas for your topic of choice, but this new feature will help you retrace your steps, continue your search and even save things. As long as you are logged into your Google account and are searching a topic that you have searched in the past like fashion, fitness, interior design, cooking or photography, it’s highly likely that you will now start to see the new Activity Card right at the top of your search.
This is a quick and easy way to access past searches and links to pages you’ve visited in the past. For me, I can re-issue a past search on deviled eggs to discover new recipes, or click to the recipe on the BEST deviled eggs I had already visited. Plus, with just a touch and hold of the link, a pop-up appears that allows me to add it to a collection. In the same drop down you’ll also have the option of deleting something you don’t want to see anymore.
To access all your collections, select the three line menu in the upper left of the mobile search or through the bottom bar of the Google app. They have some default collections like favorite pages, places, images and places you want to go.
Activity cards not for you and you don’t want to see them again? You can turn them off by touching the 3-dot icon to the right of “Your related activity”. However I recommend testing them out. This feature will help make your past searches more accessible and hopefully useful with the possibility of good organization with collections. But you’ll only find out if you start using it!