iOS App Mimics Google Now Contextual Commerce Feature

Just like you’ve always hoped (or maybe not), your iPhone can now be more like an Android phone — at least, in terms of the latter’s contextual commerce feature.

Thanks to a recent update to mobile app Relevant, which promises “your daily routine all in one place,” users can now sift through various apps on the iOS device in an interface that seeks to mimic Google Now’s card scheme.

According to an article on The Next Web, Relevant will now offer a new feature called Deep View, which “chains” cards together to make it easier for users to access information faster and in a more seamless flow. Relevant says Deep View is live with the Weather, Product Hunt, Sports, Nearby and Calendar cards.

There may also be a commerce tie-in, however tangential, in another new feature called Smart View mode (currently in beta only). This function takes the user’s location and time of day into consideration before feeding them information on nearby events, businesses and retailers. In theory, it would be able to show you cards for movie times if you’re near a theater (even if you didn’t know it was there) or reviews for nearby restaurants around dinner time.

In a recent post on Medium, Mo Mozafarian, one of the app’s founders, outlined his vision for the app and the future of mobile interfaces, saying, “The thing is, thinking about the next 3–5 years, I have a hard time accepting that we will be still going through a grid of icons, launching a bunch of apps and then navigating through multiple pages just to access what we want.” He continued, “With Relevant, we’re exploring new ways to create a more fluid and frictionless mobile experience by bringing and connecting different pieces of the Web together.”