Google Now With Voice Search For ICS Running Devices

Google Now, a search app by the search giant Google was an instant success and greeted with positive views when it was introduced in the latest Android 4.1 Jelly Bean firmware. Google Now uses actions you’ve performed on your phone in the past (i.e. your locations, calendar appointments, search queries, etc.) to form an idea of your general interests and habits. It then uses this idea to assist you in various ways via clips of info called “cards”. Most users rated it as being better in ever way, faster, accurate and more user friendly compared to Apple’s Siri. Although originally launched for Jelly Bean firmware, the app was ported to Ice Cream Sandwich running devices with almost full functionality, except for Voice Search.

The original development on Google Now fo ICS was a success except for Voice Search however new version uses Ice Cream Sandwich’s Voice Search.  Through the combined efforts of senior XDA members and beta testers, the latest version of Google Now with Voice Search integration is now available for ICS users. It can be installed by following the method mentioned below.

Instructions for installing Google Now app:

1.) Rename GoogleQuickSearchBox.apk in system/app to GoogleQuickSearchBox.bak

2.) Rename the “Velvet-Thes0o-5.apk”  to “GoogleQuickSearchBox.apk”

3.) Place the renamed .apk in the system/app folder and set the permissions to rw-r-r

4.) Reboot

OR

1.) Rename GoogleQuickSearchBox.apk in system/app to GoogleQuickSearchBox.bak

2.) Install the downloaded .apk from the SD card.

OR

1.) Flash the .zip using custom recovery.

Voice Search Installation Instructions:

1.) Download the “Voice Search for Google Now!” app.

2.) Either open up the app, hold down search or tap on the dedicated widget that comes with the app to launch the voice search.

3.) The app will use ICS’s voice-to-text engine to get your answer, and then enter it into the Google Now v5 app from before. All you have to do is hit enter and then congrats, you’ve got working voice search!

Hopefully, you won’t run into any trouble and will have Google Now with Voice Search working on your ICS running Android device.

Download Google Now .Apk File
Download Google Now .Zip File
Download Voice Search .Apk File

Via