Google has introduced new Ramadhan experiences for the month, around people wanting to know when to start and end their fasts, Ramadhan recipes, and where to go.
"To make it easier to find everything you need, we’ve created a special tool in the Middle East and North Africa and Indonesia that appears when you search for “Ramadan” on Google. You’ll find customised, locally relevant information—everything from tips and prayer timings to the most popular recipes —all right in your search results," said Yonca Dervisoglu, VP of Marketing, EMEA
at Google a blog post.
She shared that during Ramadhan, searches for recipes spike 50% higher and watch times on YouTube for cooking videos peak at almost 30% higher. This has led Google to show top recipes and YouTube cooking videos directly through the Ramadan search experience.
Dervisoglu also said that YouTube is where people look for TV drama and comedy shows during Ramadhan. The YouTube watch time for “TV series” rises a 151% in Ramadhan compared to the rest of the year. "This Ramadhan, you can keep up with the latest Ramadhan dramas and comedies directly through search," she said.
Another top question during Ramadhan is “what’s the direction of the qiblah (قِـبْـلَـة)?”. Google's Qibla Finder, web app was launched last year. It uses augmented reality to show the direction of the qibla anywhere in the world - arrows show which direction to turn, and then a message pops up when the user is facing the qiblah.
"We’ve now enabled offline usage and a shortcut to add Qibla Finder to your Android homescreen, so you can locate Makkah when you’re on the move," she added.
New from Google this year is the Qalam app, born out of searches for Ramadhan and Eid greetings.
Google collaborated with nine artists from around the world to create more than 35 unique digital Ramadhan and Eid greetings with a degree of customisation built-in using Tilt Brush, a virtual reality app.
Featured artists include eL Seed, whose designs incorporate calligraphy with graffiti (“calligraffiti”), Tolga Girgin from Turkey who mixes calligraphy and typography to challenge the sense of perspective with clever shading and Soraya Syed, one of the first female calligraphers in Pakistan.
Details:
Choose and share a 3D Ramadhan card
Explore:
Watch Soraya’s Story - A Calligrapher’s Journey