Ask.com has released the latest version of its Ask for iPhone app. The app has been downloaded more than 500,000 times since its launch last November.

The new version is “more personal and social” the company says. Users can “follow” each other and browse by personal connections, pinpointing people with specific expertise or knowledge and then following them. Ask.com says this is one step in its overall strategy to give users more control over their Q&A experience on the mobile device, so they can tailor results to reflect only the most appealing and trustworthy content.

The updated version of the app also features a retooled results page, including answers from both search results and real people, more tightly integrated into a single experience. Users can modify a question after it’s been asked, and they can log in using Facebook or LinkedIn.

Ask.com says it is also planning a number of updates for those browsing the Ask.com website on a mobile device. These include a cleaner design, and a user log-in that is better optimized for the mobile experience. The updates come off the back of a 100 per cent increase in the number of visits to the Ask.com website from mobile devices.