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  • 19-09-2019 1:49am
    #1
    riffmongous
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 12,626 Mod ✭✭✭✭


    Is it just me or has Google search on the mobile become almost unusable? First we get ads, then stories, then images, then questions, then business locations, then a handful of results, followed by similar searches and finally an option to get more results. And what I am getting for results seems to be more and more businesses. I finally got fed up and switched to duck today, it's a shame cause Google used to be great


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    #2
    FanadMan
    Registered Users Posts: 3,820 ✭✭✭FanadMan


    riffmongous wrote: »
    Is it just me or has Google search on the mobile become almost unusable? First we get ads, then stories, then images, then questions, then business locations, then a handful of results, followed by similar searches and finally an option to get more results. And what I am getting for results seems to be more and more businesses. I finally got fed up and switched to duck today, it's a shame cause Google used to be great

    Think it must be you.
    I've got the latest updates for all google apps on my phone. Did a number of random searches and they all came up normal.

    Maybe run a malware scan on your device?


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    #3
    Your Face
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,277 ✭✭✭Your Face


    Sounds like of those fancy new WAP phones.


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    #4
    Montage of Feck
    Registered Users Posts: 3,491 ✭✭✭Montage of Feck


    🦆

    🙈🙉🙊



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    #5
    The high horse brigade
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,456 ✭✭✭The high horse brigade


    riffmongous wrote: »
    Is it just me or has Google search on the mobile become almost unusable? First we get ads, then stories, then images, then questions, then business locations, then a handful of results, followed by similar searches and finally an option to get more results. And what I am getting for results seems to be more and more businesses. I finally got fed up and switched to duck today, it's a shame cause Google used to be great

    It's just you, zero problems here. Have you location, history and other stuff disabled by any chance?


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    #6
    biko
    Registered Users Posts: 81,223 ✭✭✭✭biko


    Duckduckgo is the way to go, even if Google works just fine on my phone without the issues you mention.


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    #7
    punisher5112
    Registered Users Posts: 24,647 ✭✭✭✭punisher5112


    Sounds exactly like YouTube....


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    #8
    Gregor Samsa
    Registered Users Posts: 8,908 ✭✭✭Gregor Samsa


    I get what the OP means.

    Google used to be about giving you the list of results for your search and no nonsense. Plain and simple.

    Now the actual “top results” are a screen down (on a phone), past “people also searched for”, “top stories” and “people also asked...” sections.

    They’re far removed from their simple and efficient beginnings.


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    #9
    Padraig Mor
    Registered Users Posts: 9,534 ✭✭✭Padraig Mor


    riffmongous wrote: »
    Is it just me or has Google search on the mobile become almost unusable? First we get ads, then stories, then images, then questions, then business locations, then a handful of results, followed by similar searches and finally an option to get more results. And what I am getting for results seems to be more and more businesses. I finally got fed up and switched to duck today, it's a shame cause Google used to be great

    Same here. Do a search, and the actual results are about a third of what's thrown up on your screen. Just show me what I ****ing asked for Google!


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    #10
    Sonics2k
    Registered Users Posts: 8,237 ✭✭✭Sonics2k


    This hasn't aged well.

    uea6u7c4oje31.jpg


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    #11
    Princess Consuela Bananahammock
    Registered Users Posts: 33,017 ✭✭✭✭Princess Consuela Bananahammock


    I get one or two ads but that's it.

    I have had cases where I'm looking for specific information about how to fix and item and it does have a tendency to mistake the word fix for buy....

    Everything I don't like is either woke or fascist - possibly both - pick one.



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    #12
    Ger Roe
    Registered Users Posts: 2,105 ✭✭✭Ger Roe


    Gregor Samsa wrote: »
    I get what the OP means.

    Google used to be about giving you the list of results for your search and no nonsense. Plain and simple.

    Now the actual “top results” are a screen down (on a phone), past “people also searched for”, “top stories” and “people also asked...” sections.

    They’re far removed from their simple and efficient beginnings.

    Google has become less of an actual search engine and more of a carefully targeted advertising agency. I think people who haven't noticed a change, haven't been using it for long enough to know how impartial and effective it actually used to be.


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    #13
    JohnnyFlash
    Registered Users Posts: 7,055 ✭✭✭JohnnyFlash


    They keep having to make more money to appease shareholders and ‘the market’. Even one bad quarter is unacceptable these days. So you’ll continue to get more and more ads and sponsored listings.

    Bing is better these days.


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    #14
    Feisar
    Registered Users Posts: 6,597 ✭✭✭Feisar


    JohnnyFlash wrote: »
    They keep having to make more money to appease shareholders and ‘the market’. Even one bad quarter is unacceptable these days. So you’ll continue to get more and more ads and sponsored listings.

    Bing is better these days.

    That's the problem with the markets generally, the requirement for continual growth.

    First they came for the socialists...



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    #15
    riffmongous
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 12,626 Mod ✭✭✭✭riffmongous


    FanadMan wrote: »
    Think it must be you.
    I've got the latest updates for all google apps on my phone. Did a number of random searches and they all came up normal.

    Maybe run a malware scan on your device?

    I'm using Chrome too, forgot to mention that

    Try a search for 'friday', that's when I really noticed it. Only on the 3rd page of scroll do I get the first proper result, before that it's a load of crap about stories and TGI Fridays. I can't zoom out either without going to Desktop View, so it's lots and lots of scrolling


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    #16
    riffmongous
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 12,626 Mod ✭✭✭✭riffmongous


    punisher5112 wrote: »
    Sounds exactly like YouTube....

    Don't get me started on Youtube, 2 ads in a row me hole


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    #17
    Princess Consuela Bananahammock
    Registered Users Posts: 33,017 ✭✭✭✭Princess Consuela Bananahammock


    riffmongous wrote: »
    I'm using Chrome too, forgot to mention that

    Try a search for 'friday', that's when I really noticed it. Only on the 3rd page of scroll do I get the first proper result, before that it's a load of crap about stories and TGI Fridays. I can't zoom out either without going to Desktop View, so it's lots and lots of scrolling

    Ok, you're doing something wrong here. I just did a search for Friday and the very first link is the wikipedia page for Friday.

    Everything I don't like is either woke or fascist - possibly both - pick one.



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    #18
    riffmongous
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 12,626 Mod ✭✭✭✭riffmongous


    Princess Consuela Bananahammock wrote: »
    Ok, you're doing something wrong here. I just did a search for Friday and the very first link is the wikipedia page for Friday.

    On Chrome, mobile?


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    #19
    nkl12xtw5goz70
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,497 ✭✭✭nkl12xtw5goz70


    Princess Consuela Bananahammock wrote: »
    Ok, you're doing something wrong here. I just did a search for Friday and the very first link is the wikipedia page for Friday.

    My top result is for a 1995 film called Friday.

    Rebecca Black's awful song "Friday" also shows up as a top result.


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    #20
    xabi
    Registered Users Posts: 2,994 ✭✭✭xabi


    Princess Consuela Bananahammock wrote: »
    Ok, you're doing something wrong here. I just did a search for Friday and the very first link is the wikipedia page for Friday.

    Same here.


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    #21
    Princess Consuela Bananahammock
    Registered Users Posts: 33,017 ✭✭✭✭Princess Consuela Bananahammock


    riffmongous wrote: »
    On Chrome, mobile?

    EDIT: On laptop. Have you got adblock installed?

    Mobile: one advert link, then the movie mentioned above.

    Everything I don't like is either woke or fascist - possibly both - pick one.



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    #22
    riffmongous
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 12,626 Mod ✭✭✭✭riffmongous


    Princess Consuela Bananahammock wrote: »
    Yes. Have you got adblock installed?

    Nope

    This is what I get as the first 'page' of view


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    #23
    Quantum Erasure
    Registered Users Posts: 8,166 ✭✭✭Quantum Erasure


    also, whats with pinterest flooding the top results when you do an image search?


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    #24
    TheValeyard
    Registered Users Posts: 12,212 ✭✭✭✭TheValeyard


    Quantum Erasure wrote: »
    also, whats with pinterest flooding the top results when you do an image search?

    Pinterest can go and die in the recycle bin like Words paperclip, Netscape Browser, oceanfree chat, yahoo.

    Fcuk Putin. Glory to Ukraine!



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    #25
    The Nal
    Registered Users Posts: 12,454 ✭✭✭✭The Nal


    Not on a phone but on Win10, Google.com not auto completing, maps not working from the google page when I click "directions" and the "People also ask" drop down menu isn't dropping down. All settings are correct/same as before when it was working. Just happened this morning.


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    #26
    Ficheall
    Registered Users Posts: 9,018 ✭✭✭Ficheall


    I noticed the other day that Google had reverted to saving my search history even though I had turned that "feature" off previously. It's a shame duckduckgo just isn't as good at searching for things.


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    #27
    73bc61lyohr0mu
    Closed Accounts Posts: 312 ✭✭73bc61lyohr0mu


    Unlock bootloader, install a custom ROM with no Google services. Use Aurora store and F Droid for app downloads. Be grand..


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    #28
    764dak
    Registered Users Posts: 1,847 ✭✭✭764dak


    Bing shows better results than Google does.


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    #29
    Esel
    Registered Users Posts: 22,002 ✭✭✭✭Esel


    DuckDuckGo have a browser now as well.

    Not your ornery onager



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    #30
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 0 ✭ [Deleted User]


    https://www.qwant.com


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    #31
    Zorya
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,194 ✭✭✭Zorya


    I have been finding that google is becoming very untrustworthy. It shows results at the top which are what one might call politically acceptable. It is definitely a biased algorithm now. And very noticeable compared to even a couple of years ago. If you want to find something not altogether kosher you have to feed it way more terms to narrow down the search. I started using duckduckgo but Im not all that gone on it either.
    Maybe it is just a sticky down swing on the internet and will right itself but it certainly aint freedom of thought. Ah well.


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