Abstract: Techniques include receiving a pressure input from a user of a user device at a pressure-sensitive display of the device and determining that the display is covered (e.g., obscured from the user's view) using the device. The techniques further include, in response to receiving the pressure input and determining that the display is covered, receiving a search query from the user at the device via voice input, transmitting the query to a search system via a network using the device, and receiving search results from the system at the device subsequent to transmitting the query. The techniques also include performing one or more actions associated with the search results using the user device (e.g., displaying the results to the user at the display, providing a text-to-speech or playback output for the results to the user, and/or forwarding the results to another computing device for display and/or text-to-speech or playback output).

Abstract: A method includes receiving a search query and one or more context parameters from a user device. The search query indicates a search string. The method includes determining a search area based on at least one of the search string or the one or more context parameters, and obtaining a set of point of interest records based on the search area. The method includes clustering the point of interest records into clusters based at least on locations of the respective points of interest and generating one or more location-based refinements based on the clusters of the of point of interest records. Each location-based refinement is based on one of the clusters of the point of interest records and includes a display portion and a refined search query that is constrained by the refined search area. The method includes transmitting the one or more location-based refinements to the user device.

Abstract: A server includes a network communication device, memory hardware, and data processing hardware. The data processing hardware receives sensor data and application data from a client computing device. The sensor data includes sensor measurement values from sensors. The application data indicates application states applications. The data processing hardware receives a request to provide event notifications to a first application from the plurality of applications upon an occurrence of an event. The request includes an event description. The data processing hardware identifies an event trigger that indicates the occurrence of the event. The event trigger includes an application state of a second application and a sensor measurement value for at least one of the sensors. The data processing hardware detects the occurrence of the event by comparing the event trigger with the sensor data and the application data, and transmits an event notification to the first application upon detecting the event.

Abstract: An apparatus includes a user interface module that displays a search user interface element to a user. The search element is associated with a multimedia object. An object type module determines type data for the multimedia object indicating an object type of the multimedia object. A query wrapper construction module creates a query wrapper based on the type data. A network communication module transmits the query wrapper to a search system and receives a result set. The result set includes identifying information of a first application state of a first application and a first access mechanism for the first application state. A result presentation module presents the result set to the user. An access module, in response to actuation of a first user interface element, opens the first application to the first application state according to the first access mechanism and provides the multimedia object to the first application state.

Abstract: A server configured to receive data corresponding with a web page and/or a native application, the data comprising a uniform resource locator (URL); compare the URL included in the data with URL patterns stored in a category data store; determine a data category of the data based on the comparison; determine a data scraper based on the data category, the data scraper comprising a scraper configuration that enables the data scraper to extract information from the web page and/or the native application; scrape the web page and/or the native application by extracting information from the web page and/or the native application using the data scraper; store the extracted information in one or more data stores; used the stored information to provide search results and/or card objects.

Abstract: A server includes a network communication device, a storage device, and a processing device that executes computer-readable instructions. When the computer-readable instructions are executed by the processing device, the computer-readable instructions cause the processing device to receive advertisement data that corresponds with a web advertisement. The advertisement data includes an advertisement uniform resource locator (URL) that refers to a website advertised by the web advertisement. In addition, the computer-readable instructions cause the processing device to determine an advertisement card object based on the advertisement data. The advertisement card object includes a card label, a card image, and graphical user interface (GUI) elements. The computer-readable instructions cause the processing device to render an advertisement card that displays the card label, the card image and the GUI elements, and transmit the advertisement card object via the network communication device.

Abstract: Techniques include receiving a search query from a user device, determining native application states that are accessible by a user of the user device, and identifying application state records based on the search query and the application states. Each application state record includes an application access mechanism (AAM) and application state information (ASI). The AAM references a native application and indicates operations for the application to perform. The ASI describes a state of the native application after the application has performed the operations. Identifying the application state records based on the application states includes determining that the ASI included in each record describes one of the application states. The techniques also include selecting AAMs from the identified application state records and transmitting the AAMs to the user device.

Abstract: A mobile computing device configured to display advertisements in an application launcher, which displays icons that may be selected by a user to launch a native application. The mobile computing device transmits an advertisement request to an advertisement server and receives an advertisement object in response to transmitting the advertisement request. The advertisement object includes information related to an advertisement. The advertisement indicates the application identifier of the native application and a state identifier that identifies an advertised state within the native application. The mobile computing device displays the advertisement in the application launcher by modifying the icons. The mobile computing device replaces or modifies an icon image and/or an icon caption based on the advertisement.

Abstract: Techniques include receiving a search query from a user device, determining native applications that are installed on the user device and associated with user accounts, and identifying app state records based on the search query and the applications. Each app state record includes an application access mechanism (AAM) and application state information (ASI). The AAM references a native application and indicates operations for the application to perform. The ASI describes a state of the native application after the application has performed the operations. Identifying the app state records based on the native applications includes determining that each record includes an AAM that references one of the applications. The techniques also include selecting AAMs from the identified app state records and transmitting the AAMs to the user device. Other techniques include generating result scores for app state records identified based on the search query using the native applications.

Abstract: A method includes receiving a first search query from a user device and transmitting the first search query from data processing hardware to a query analysis system and a first search system. The method includes receiving first search results from the first search system and receiving query information from the query analysis system. The method includes transmitting a second search query from the data processing hardware to the application program interface of the second search system. The second search query based on the query information. The method includes receiving second search results from the second search system and determining a result set that includes at least some of the first search results and the second search results. At least one search result includes an application access mechanism having a reference to a corresponding installed application on the user device.

Abstract: One embodiment of a disclosed method and computer-readable storage medium provides customizable application search. Partner systems leverage search functionality of an application search system configured to perform searches for applications. In one embodiment, partner systems select filters to be applied to queries submitted to the application search system via the partners' websites, and specify particular attributes to be displayed with each search result returned by the application search system. When users submit queries to the application search system via a partner system, the users' queries are associated with the partner system's custom filters and attribute display preferences. In response to receiving the queries, the application search system returns search results filtered and formatted according to the partner system's custom preferences.

Abstract: A server includes a network communication device, a storage device, and a processing device. The processing device executes computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the processing device, cause the processing device to: receive contextual data from a client computing device via the network communication device, the contextual data indicates a first application view displayed on the client computing device; identify a first application function ID that identifies a first application function corresponding with the first application view; determine a first user intent ID that corresponds with the first application function ID; determine a second user intent ID that transitions from the first user intent ID; identify a second application function ID that corresponds with the second user intent ID; retrieve a card object corresponding with the second application function ID from the storage device; and transmit the card object to the client computing device via the network communication device.

Abstract: Techniques for sharing application states are disclosed. According to one aspect of the disclosure, the techniques include receiving a web resource identifier indicating a web address of a web server hosting a web application and including one or more parameters indicating a state of the web application. The techniques also include obtaining an instruction set for generating an application resource identifier, the instruction set being obtained based on a first portion of the web resource identifier. The techniques further include determining one or more parameter values based on the web resource identifier and the instruction set, and generating an application resource identifier based on the instruction set and the one or more parameter values, the application resource identifier being indicative of the state accessed via a native application.

Abstract: One embodiment of a disclosed system, method, and computer readable storage medium provides dynamic filtering in application searches. Partner systems leverage search functionality of an application search system configured to perform searches for applications. In one embodiment, partner systems select application categories to be associated with search queries submitted to the application search system via the partners' websites. When users submit search queries to the application search system via a partner system, the users' queries are associated with the partner system's application category selection. Alternatively, the search queries may implicitly or explicitly specify an application category. In response to receiving the queries, the application search system returns search results from the selected application category.

Abstract: A method includes receiving a search query from a general purpose search system or a user device and assessing a search query value for the search query. Sending a request for search results to search engines and receiving candidate search results from at least some of the search engines. The request includes the search query and the search query value. Each candidate search result includes a user selectable link and a result bid, the user selectable link indicates an operation to access information. Selecting search results from the candidate search results based on the corresponding result bids and sending the search results to the general purpose search system or the user device. Receiving an indication of a selection of a user selectable link of one of the search results and modifying an account associated with the search engine corresponding to the selected search result.

Abstract: A method includes executing a messaging application to generate a messaging session between a user device and an application contact that represents a communication channel with a business's application. The method further includes requesting historical items from one or more remote servers for insertion into the messaging session. The historical items include links that were generated by the remote servers and selected by a user prior to creation of the messaging session. The links are associated with the business's application. The method further includes receiving historical items from one or more of the remote servers, inserting the received historical items into the messaging session, and receiving user selection of one of the historical items. Additionally, the method includes launching an application according to an access mechanism of the selected historical item and setting the launched application state into a state specified by the access mechanism of the historical item.

Abstract: A method including receiving a search query containing one or more query terms from a remote device and determining one or more query parses based on the search query and a knowledge base. Each query parse indicates one or more entity types, wherein each entity type corresponds to a query term or a combination of query terms contained in the search query. The method further includes obtaining a set of app-specific rules, each app-specific rule respectively corresponding to a respective software application. The method further includes generating a set of unparameterized function identifiers based on the plurality of app-specific rules and the one or more query parses. For each of the set of unparameterized function identifiers, the method includes parameterizing the function identifier based on the query terms. The method further includes generating search results based on the parameterized function identifiers and transmitting the search results to the remote device.

Abstract: A developer exchange system includes a data store storing records. Each record includes a function module and metadata specifying a function performed by the function module. A function ontology interrelates a plurality of functions. A function management module allows a first developer to select a first function from the ontology. An integration module provides processor-executable instructions to the first developer for integration into a first application. The processor-executable instructions include sending a function module request that identifies the first function to the developer exchange system, and receiving and executing a function module. The function module provides display data for use in the first application. A delivery module receives a function module request, specifying an identifier of a desired function, from a user device. The delivery module selects a function module corresponding to the desired function from the data store and transmits the selected function module to the user device.

Abstract: Some aspects of the disclosure provide a method comprising obtaining machine executable code of an application, the application operable to achieve a set of application states, pre-processing the machine executable code to generate reviewable code, identifying, from the reviewable code, a set of state access instructions configured to invoke or assist in invoking one of the set of application states of the application, the set of state access instructions indicating a first state access instruction configured to invoke a first state of the set of application states and a second state access instruction configured to invoke a second state of the set of application states that is different from the first state, each of the set of state access instructions including an application resource identifier referencing an application and indicating an operation for the application to perform, and storing the set of state access instructions.

Abstract: A method includes receiving, at an advertisement system, advertisement data from a plurality of advertiser devices. The method further includes generating a plurality of advertisement records, each advertisement record including an entity name, an action, and a bid price associated with an advertisement. The method further includes receiving an advertisement request from a link generation system and selecting an advertisement record having the entity name indicated in the advertisement request but a different action than the action indicated in the advertisement request. Additionally, the method includes generating an advertisement result based on the selected advertisement record and transmitting the advertisement result to the link generation system.