Google today launched a native iPhone version of its Google Offers app. Unsurprisingly, the app is very similar to the Google Offers Android app, which the company launched last November. With the new iPhone app, Google Offers users in the U.S. will be able to buy deals right from the app and find nearby deals while they are on the go. They can also use deals they have already bought right from their iPhone without having to print their coupons. Google, of course, always offered a mobile web version of Google Offers, but using the native app is significantly faster and also offers a number of new features.
Given that Google just launched its Groupon Now-like free offers a few weeks ago, offering an easier way for iOS users to discover these free coupons will surely expand the reach of these promotions. Users can use these coupons right away or save them for later. While the mobile web version of Google Offers doesn’t seem to feature these free offers, they are front and center in the new native app.
iPhone users can now also opt-in to getting daily push notifications about new deals and alerts when deals they have already purchased or saved are about to expire.
Google, of course, has also been integrating Google Offers closer into its Google Maps for Android product in recent months. Now that Google will likely offer a stand-alone iOS version of Maps as well, chances are we will see a similar integration on Apple’s platform, too.
For the most part, Google’s app is obviously not that different from the ones its two biggest competitors Groupon and LivingSocial already offer. Google is still playing catch-up in this market and it’s actually a bit of a surprise that it took the company this long to launch an iOS version of this app.
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