The company announced the new feature in a blog post today. It has partnered with The Weather Channel to incorporate pollen index data into its search results. When you search for “pollen forecast” or “pollen index” on Google, you’ll now see a special card that helps you work out whether you’ll be suffering.
The card includes a five-day forecast of the anticipated pollen level in your location. It also provides a short description of the expected allergy impact and a list of the prominent allergens. If you respond to a particular kind of pollen, you can check to see which plants are causing the most impact in your area.
Google’s also offering notifications to proactively let you know when pollen levels will be high. These will be offered through the Google app. To sign up for the alerts, search for pollen levels through the app and press the “Turn On” button that appears above the search results. The next time the pollen level is expected to be particularly high, you’ll get a notification so you know to take action.
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“While most of you out there are enjoying the dog days of summer, some are bracing themselves for the fall allergy season that’s right around the corner. In fact, one in five Americans suffer from seasonal allergies.” said Google. “To help you get ahead of your seasonal allergies symptoms, now when you search on mobile for pollen or allergy information on Google, you’ll see useful at-a-glance details on pollen levels in your area.”
Google said it developed the feature by looking at the spikes in search interest for allergies each year. Around April and September, there’s a prominent peak as the majority of allergy sufferers begin to experience symptoms. Since people respond differently to each allergen, the Google app will now give you some insight into the conditions outside.
The feature is the latest in Google’s steady stream of helpful search results cards. Last year, the company rolled out a similar health-care focused experience that lets you view information on treating symptomatic medical complaints. Whether you’ve got a headache or hay fever, Google wants to be your first place to look for help.
