Google app beta tests 'Upcoming' tab for timely information

Google has been testing out a number of new features for Google Now, or the Feed as it is now known, over the past year, ranging from personalized cards to including new search results, in an effort to make the results more contextual. Over in the beta channel for the app, Google is testing out a new ‘Upcoming’ tab that shows cards related to nearby goings on.

The new tab is billed as a “snapshot of what’s coming up”, but it doesn’t add in anything in the way of new cards. Instead, the service can read through updates in Gmail or to your calendar to pick out useful bits of information to display. The Upcoming tab features cards which contain information ranging from commutes, flights, reservations, events from your calendar, and other basic day-to-day tasks.

This isn’t the first time that beta users will have spotted something similar to this feature. Google has been testing out a second tab for a while now under the Dashboard moniker. The familiar weather, sports, and news cards remain under the first tab with the little newspaper icon for now, creating a handy separator between your stuff and what’s going on in the wider world.

This new feature is slowly rolling out with the latest version of the Google app beta, but not everyone is seeing it quite yet. When first updated, the app will draw your attention to the new tab with a little tutorial. It’s not clear if or when the Upcoming tab will hit the main app channel, but hopefully it will been sometime soon.