Google has updated the iOS and Android apps for Google+, adding support for Pages.

The Pages feature gives businesses, products and brands a presence on the social network, and enables them to put up posts and interact with followers directly. It was rolled out nearly a year ago on desktop, but until now was only available on the mobile web.

The updated Android app also adds a tweaked homescreen widget, find people search, and one-click photo functionality, while the iOS version is mostly centred around improving iPhone 5 and iOS 6 compatibility.

Its part of a wider update to Google+, accompanied by changes to the rating scale for the Local feature, which has been part of its mobile offering for a while now. Google+ Local enables users to review restaurants or businesses, which tie into Google Maps and Places. The rating system has switched from numbers into descriptors like poor, good, or excellent, which will then be converted into a 30-point Zagat score.

And, just to make the focus of these updates clear, Google has also added a sidebar to their mobile site which literally puts Google+ at the top of the list. By clicking a button, users can access a sidebar which pops up at the left side of the screen, enabling them to filter their search by Images, Maps, News etc, with a +You button at the top – not dissimilar to the bar that runs across the top of its desktop site.