Google Location Aware Search now live, lets you ask questions about your current location without naming it

While Google Now on Tap isn’t coming to devices until the full launch of Android M, it looks like a few new enhancements to Google Search will help tide us over until then. At an event in Paris, Google just unveiled a new feature called “Location Aware Search” that actually takes into account your current location and gives you results about landmarks, locations and businesses around you. This is similar to when Google Search began understanding pronouns instead of making the user repeat the name of the subject about which they were searching.

Here’s how it works – No matter your location, you can ask Google anything about a particular landmark, business, tower, etc., and Google will be able to answer you depending on where you are. For example, when you’re standing in a park and say “What’s the name of this park?”, Google will be able to answer you. Take a look at the video below for a demonstration:

Location Aware Search is live unannounced feature in Google Search App. Ask about things nearby without naming them pic.twitter.com/ML7APC6Msc

— Danny Sullivan (@dannysullivan) June 9, 2015

It doesn’t stop there, though. In this next example, the user was talking to Google about the Empire State Building. After asking Search simple questions like “How tall is it?” and “Who built it?”, the user then simply asked the question “when”, and Google responded accordingly. Take a look for yourself:

Personally most amazing to me because understated. Watch how Google gives relevant answer just for word “when” #SMX pic.twitter.com/wlR3PynuO2 — Danny Sullivan (@dannysullivan) June 9, 2015

According to a user on Reddit, here are a few more examples on what you can ask Google:

• What is this museum?
• When does this restaurant open?
• How tall is this? (when standing next to a tower)
• When was this built? (for monuments)
• What’s the name of this church?
• What’s the phone number for this pharmacy?

Like I said before, this feature still has yet to be announced by Google. It’s currently working on my device, and a number of other Reddit users say it’s working on theirs, as well. Since we’re kind of low on details at the moment, feel free to test it out and see what you can make it do. And be sure to tell us your thoughts in the comments below!