Rumors of Google Now like features in iOS 9


Mark Gurman for 9 to 5 Mac:

After several years of quiet development, Apple is readying a major new iOS initiative codenamed "Proactive," which will leverage Siri, Contacts, Calendar, Passbook, and third-party apps to create a viable competitor to Google Now for Android devices. Like Google Now, Proactive will automatically provide timely information based on the user's data and device usage patterns, but will respect the user's privacy preferences, according to sources familiar with Apple's plans.


The "Today" widget screen seemed to me to be Apple's crack at the consolidated status board of your life. One thing Google Now has that Apple doesn't, however, is deep scanning of your personal data. A lot of Google Now's most interesting functionality appears to come from reading your email, for example. That's unlikely something Apple is unlikely to do. So, it will be interesting to see how Apple leverages your data on your phone without going to the cloud and triggering privacy concerns.