It’s probably not news to you that Google is the most popular search engine in the world. But did you know that the tech giant, in addition to its wildly popular search engine function, has created over 140 different products and tools during its two-decade long history? And while you’re likely familiar with some of its biggest efforts, like Gmail, Chrome, YouTube, and Google Drive, there are many other, less-talked-about tools that offer elegant and efficient solutions for everyday tasks and challenges. Read on for a round-up of six of the most useful Google tools you might not have heard about before.
Google Keep
This beautifully designed note-taking tool is an excellent way to organize your notes, reminders, to-do lists, images, and other paraphernalia into a clean and tidy visual list that’s easy to view, sort, and search. Its interface invokes post-it notes or index cards, which makes Keep highly intuitive to use, and you can easily customize it with the addition of personalized labels and colors. There’s almost no limit to the things you can use Keep for: whether you need to record an audio reminder to yourself, or share a shopping list with family members that can be accessed and edited in real time, Keep has you covered. Best of all, Keep automatically syncs across all your devices, so all the critical information you need is always at your fingertips.
Google Forms
Like Google Docs, Google Sheets, and Google Slides, Google Forms is part of the family of tools inside Google Drive. And while it’s not quite as well-known as its bigger cousins, it certainly deserves to be, as it’s an amazingly useful tool. As the name implies, Google Forms offers a simple and efficient way to create forms of all kinds: surveys, questionnaires, subscription forms, multiple choice quizzes, event registration forms, and more, all of which can be easily shared via a Google link or embedded directly into a website. On the back end, Forms presents the collected information in an organized analytics format that gives you the close-up details you need combined with the bigger picture insights you want. To access Google Forms, simply click the “More” option in Google Drive when you create a new file.
Google Goggles
A text-based Google search is all very well if you know the name of whatever it is you want to look up, but what do you do when you just can’t remember what the object of your search is called? The answer is simple: use Google Goggles. This astonishing, image-driven search engine lets you snap a photo and use that as the basis for your search. All you have to do is point your camera at whatever you want to know about—whether that’s a famous work of art, an iconic landmark, a popular image, a product you’re using, or even a barcode or QR code—and Google Goggles will search for a match in its vast database. And if that wasn’t already enough functionality, the tool can even read text (English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, and Turkish are all currently supported), and translate it into other languages. Unfortunately, however, the tool is not available on the iPhone iOS platform.
Google Pay (formerly Google Wallet)
The world of mobile payments is growing rapidly, and Google Pay is one of the tools leading the charge. Compatible with any debit or credit card, Google Pay lets you make fast and secure online money transfers to friends or family: all you need is their e-mail address or phone number. It’s also possible to send a request for money via Google Pay and have the amount deposited directly into your bank account. Finally, if you’re a Gmail user, you can use Google Pay to attach money right in your e-mail message.
Google Duo
Video messaging apps are great if the person you want to talk to has a corresponding user account on the same platform, but what do you do if you’re a dedicated FaceTime user and the person you want to get in touch with doesn’t have an iPhone? Google Duo offers a way to bridge this gap: all you need to use this basic, one-to-one video calling app is a phone number. Its simple, intuitive interface brings video to the forefront, and its easy and automatic switching from Wi-Fi to cellular data means you can use it anywhere, even when you’re on the go.
Inbox by Gmail
If you use Gmail, the Inbox by Gmail tool can help you take your e-mails to the next level. Developed based on extensive, real-world data about people’s Gmail usage, Inbox by Gmail offers a slick, visual platform from which you can easily view, organize, and respond to your e-mail messages across multiple devices. The tool also combines efficient e-mail management with other useful features, like reminders, highlights, and bundles that group similar e-mails together for easier comparison and retrieval.