Google Files to Introduce Content-Based Search for Images and PDFs in the Near Future
There must have been times in your life when you wanted to find an important file on your mobile device but failed to create or save it because of the random file name you chose. This can cause a lot of frustration and therefore waste valuable time.
But what if there was a solution that could mitigate this problem by letting you search what’s in the file? Yes, the search giant is working on a Google Files feature that will let you do just that.
As reported by Android Police, Google Files’ Smart Search feature is currently being tested and will allow users to search files such as images and PDFs based on what’s inside them. This eliminates the need to remember file names, saving time and energy when searching for a specific file in a hurry.
This feature works by using local machine learning technology to perform a deeper search of the device’s files. It works with text in images and PDFs, image location and objects, artist, album and title of audio and video.
For example, suppose you lose a PDF flight ticket in a file application because you saved it with a random file name. All you have to do is search for the name of the airport and ideally you should be able to find your file. Android Police also notes that you can do the same for objects in photos, so if you’re looking for a picture of your dog, you can search for dogs to find it.
However, this feature has some limitations. For now, files are only checked periodically, so newly uploaded files won’t show up right away. In addition, voice and location-based search does not work at the moment.
