Google Now On Tap update unleashes instant screen sharing

For those Android users lucky enough to be running Marshmallow, Google Now On Tap just got a little bit sweeter. An update that came down the pipe last night added an unobtrusive little share button to the bottom left corner of Now On Tap’s pop up menu. When tapped, the app runs perhaps the slickest screenshot interface we’ve seen.

What do you use screenshots for? Most of the time, they’re ephemera. You need the image for a specific purpose at hand, and once it’s accomplished, you might as well not keep it around. When you’re bragging about a high score or sharing a screengrab of someone’s Facebook meltdown, you don’t necessarily need to keep those images around for posterity. They’re one-and-done. That screenshot folder in your gallery is really only good for hoarding stolen Snapchats.

Furthermore, the typical screenshot command for Android – holding Volume Down and the Power Button at the same time – is frankly a little bit awkward. If you have to do even one other thing at the same time, it becomes a herculean task better suited to some 20-fingered alien or an octopus.

Google Now On Tap solves both of these problems with grace. When you tap the share button, it takes a temporary screenshot that you can share through any of the share function’s usual channels: tweet it, post it to Facebook, send it as a text, etc. It even trims the status and navigation bars off for you. Once you’ve shared the image, the screenshot vanishes into the aether rather than stick around on your internal storage. If it’s an image you do want to save, then simply share it to Google Photos or your Gallery, no sweat.

All in all, pretty stellar little update for Now On Tap. An elegant solution to screenshotting that foregoes clumsy button interface and keeps your storage uncluttered. What are your thoughts on this new feature? Let us know in the comments!

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