Google kills 'Now on Tap' brand that never made much sense, anyway

Google apparently dumped its "Now on Tap" brand Tuesday in favor of something a bit more straightforward: Google Assistant.

Now on Tap, which is only a year old, allows Android users to get more detailed information about whatever's on their screen by holding down their home button. Google Assistant will absorb this functionality, a spokesperson for the company told Mashable, but it'll work in much the same way.

Say you're texting with someone about meeting up for dinner. Your friend messages you the name of a place you're not familiar with, so you activate Google Assistant (née Now on Tap), which "reads" the text on your screen and displays relevant information — reviews, location and so forth.

Here's how it looks in the new Pixel phone:

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

It's a handy feature — it saves you the steps of switching to your browser app and typing a search into Google — but its implementation has been a bit clumsy so far.

Android devices are made by a variety of companies like Samsung and LG, which means Now on Tap hasn't been clearly advertised as a core feature on flagship devices like the Galaxy Note7. And — ugh! — that name just doesn't make any sense. What are you "tapping," and why?

Google's trying to force a change with its new line of Pixel phones, which were formally announced at a media event in San Francisco Tuesday. They're the first devices to contain Google Assistant, which will emphasize all of the handy new features.

Bottom line? The company is tightening its branding, ideally making features like Google Assistant user-friendly -- and its pricy Pixel phones more appealing as a result.

UPDATED Oct. 4 at 11:39 a.m. PT with additional information from Google.